Amelioration
by Landmine003
Summary: After returning to Asgard following his attack on New York City, Loki has his powers removed and contained within an amulet to be kept by Thor until the God of Mischief has been fully rehabilitated. However, when Odin banishes him to Midgard, will he complete his sinister plan to recover his powers from Thor, or will he find peace with the human woman Darcy...
1. Chapter 1

_**Amelioration**_

_**Summary: **After returning to Asgard following his attack on New York City, Loki has his powers removed and contained within an amulet to be kept by Thor until the God of Mischief has been fully rehabilitated. But when Odin banishes him to Midgard, will he complete his sinister plan to recover his powers from Thor, or will he find peace with the human woman Darcy..._

_**A/N: **After watching 'Thor' and 'The Avengers', I absolutely fell in love with the character Loki. However, I found only one other character to be compatible with the God of Mischief: Darcy. I hope everyone enjoys my little creation. If anyone catches any spelling or grammatical errors, I would greatly appreciate a private message informing me of such. I cannot always catch all of my own mistakes. Also, for those curious about the meaning of the story title, here is your answer: (Pronounced "uh-meel-yuh-rey-shun") To make or become better; to improve; the act of relieving ills; changing for the better._

_While this word is often used in regards to the physical or mental health of the person, or in geology in reference to the Oxygen isotope ration cycle, it can still apply. If you feel the need to understand the different isotopes of Oxygen, be my guest, if not, please do continue on._

_No rights, of course._

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It was all over now. His attempt to rule Asgard had failed by just a thin margin, Thor's sacrifice had returned Mjölnir to his hand and had given him the strength to annihilate the destroyer Loki had sent. Even after his brothers destruction of the Bifrost bridge, him and his adopted father had tried to save Loki from the great fall off the edge. He had done all of this to prove that he was the better brother, the one who deserved to be king. He was the one who had killed Laufey and destroyed an entire race of monsters. He was the one who had saved his brother, the Warriors Three, and Sif from being overrun and killed by the horde of those beasts. But when his father shook his head in disappointment, uttering the one word Loki had been accustomed to hearing his entire life, he realized that he never had a chance. He was one of those monsters, and he would never be allowed to become king. It was all a sick lie. He simply let go, weightless as he allowed himself to fall into the world between worlds.

The blackness of the in-between world is suffocating, the nothingness playing tricks with the minds of those who fell. The absolute silence of the world between worlds always drives those who dropped to the brink of insanity as they floated through the darkness for an eternity. Any normal man, or god, would suffer, endlessly swimming through the void until death claimed them... But Loki was no normal god.

He found great peace in the dead silence and the darkness of the in-between world, welcoming the void with open arms. He had been here many times before, and considered it the world surrounding the worlds, the pathway to any location in the universe. All Loki had to do was look.

He spent months plotting his revenge on the human planet with aid from the Chitauri. His trip through the galaxies had landed him in their realm, where he made a deal with the Other to conquer Midgard. He resented the humans and how they changed Thor. Any sensible enemy would have killed Loki on the spot, as Loki would have done to Thor if he was placed in the same situation, but the fool let him drop. They believed it was death, the fall from the Bifrost, but it was nothing but a place for the God of Mischief to plan. He had come up with the perfect plan to rule the planet the Midgardians had incorrectly named Earth, the humans who so desperately needed to be ruled. If he couldn't seize his birthright on Asgard, he would take it on Midgard. However, he was foiled once more by his brother and the team of filthy mongrels he associated with.

So, here Loki stood, next to his brother, facing the punishment for the attempted seizure of an entire planet. He remained in his gag and chains, the Asgardian people fearing his magic. He smirked beneath the black mask, his expression completely hidden by the device. He stared up at his adopted father, Odin, god of the gods, ruler of Asgard, patiently waiting his punishment. Loki feared no wrath, no challenge or burden to be placed upon the deathly god. He could find a way out, using his cleverness and sharp mind to overcome anything.

Odin looked down at his two sons, pain in his heart, but strength in his eyes. He could never show weakness for someone who had done so much damage, and he had to find a way to punish his adopted son for his transgressions. Knowing of his trickery and his innate ability to escape almost any problem, Odin had to find a solution that wouldn't allow him to return to his destruction so quickly. Something that would change him...

"Loki Odinson..." Odin boomed, his deep voice echoing through the great hall and gaining the attention of the quietly gossiping gods, "...God of Mischief and Trickery, Deceit and Lies. You have been charged with the assault and attempted rule of Midgard, consorting to kill your king, and the attempted genocide of the Jotunn."

Loki simply scoffed behind his gag, the sound quieted by the mask. His smile and his eyes widened, more fascinated than frightened of Odin's sentence. He stood, composed and regal, at the foot of the great golden steps that led to his Asgardian fathers throne. He straightened his back and stood tall, reminding everyone watching him with their prying eyes that he was still powerful, that he was still a prince despite his charges.

"You are to have your magic removed, placed into an enchanted amulet until your brother Thor sees fit to return them to you," Odin finished, his sentence bringing silence to everyone in the great hall. Even Loki dropped his devious smile, shooting a furious glare to his blonde brother, seething with rage. He had hoped that his sentence would be less precise, easier to overcome. He still felt that he could succeed and return to Midgard to finish his plan for destruction, knowing that he just had to convince his brother of his rehabilitation. Or perhaps he could find a way to kill the god even in his soon to be mortal form. Almost sensing his thoughts, Thor returned his gaze with a far less angrier one, one filled with hope and promise. Loki couldn't help but laugh once more. He thought of his brother as a great fool, a child with a hammer, only knowing how to fight rather than think. He could be overcome with great ease.

The dark haired prince's eyes returned to his father as the giant of a man slowly thundered down the golden steps leading to his great throne. He materialized an unassuming amulet, holding it in his great hands as if to warm it. The copper colored pendant was made to be the shape of two serpents tightly coiled around a clear jewel, to represent his youngest son. He paused half way down the great steps to complete his sentence, "You shall be banished to Midgard, and if you ever so dare to venture to any other realm without your brother, you shall be killed on sight."

Loki swallowed back a knot in his throat as he listened to the rest of his punishment. For once, his adopted father actually had a decent punishment for the dark haired god. He still underestimated the skill of his silver tongue, and his brothers desperate want for Loki to change. Thor could be easily manipulated into giving Loki the amulet and returning his powers. However, his plan to kill his dim-witted brother were void.

Odin stepped down until he was standing in front of his adopted son, his eyes now obviously filled with pain. He had wished Loki had never discovered his true origin, his hideous birth parents. Odin had thought he made the right decision, scooping up the tiny frost giant baby and returning to raise him as his own. It was now that he contemplated if killing his son, the true blooded Jotunn, would be the solution to all this destruction. But what Odin would never admit was that no matter how much pain and suffering his youngest son created, he could not bear to strike him down.

Looking into the green, now unfamiliar eyes of Loki, Odin took pause. He knew this would hurt the God of Mischief, not kill him, but it still pained the all father to hurt either of his sons. He gently hung the amulet from his left wrist, suddenly striking out with his right. He reached into, or rather through, the chest of the youngest male, causing the black haired god to cry in pain, still muffled by the gag held to his mouth. The giant god clenched his fist, removing his hand from Loki's chest holding a writhing mass of green energy, assumed by all the be what powered Loki's magic. He soon grasped the amulet with the hand that held the pulsating energy, the copper colored substance absorbing all of Loki's strength and ability. The amulet glowed green, the copper snakes slithering to wrap around the unknown jewel even tighter. While the rest of the pendant returned to its original rust colored state, the gem within retained a jade pigment. Different shades of green swirled within the finely cut crystal, pulsating power.

Loki stumbled forward as Odin pulled his hand from his chest, the now powerless god falling to his knees. He wanted to clutch his chest, to nurse the agonizing pain in his sternum, but was unable to. The cuffs were now much heavier, the gag digging into his cheeks and mouth. Gasping for air through his nose, he attempted to stand once more, only to find the feat impossible.

Odin reached down to his now weak son, removing the gag he had suffered with ever since his defeat at Stark Tower. Loki spit on the floor of the great hall, trying to remove the taste of the painful device and disrespecting his father as well. He glowered up at the giant of a god, lips pulled back into a tight snarl.

"I am Loki Laufeyson, and you shall never refer to me by that sickening surname again," he spit, acid dripping from his every word as he denounced the man who was once his father. He smirked as he saw the elder cringe slightly, knowing that his true origin distressed the God of the Gods, and that his open declaration pained him.

Trying his best to ignore his young sons declaration, Odin turned to Thor, placing a strong hand on the broad shoulders of the Thunder God. He held out the amulet to his true blood son, gently setting it into the open palm of the blonde. Thor took the copper colored pendant, quickly wrapping it around his neck. He could feel Loki's powers fighting the pendant itself, as if desperately seeking out the God of Mischief. It burned his chest momentarily before the energy behind the amulet receded back into the depths of its temporary prison. Thor looked from the medallion to his father, giving him a knowing look. He knew what he had to do. It was only his luck to be sent back to Midgard, where he could be with Jane...

"Thank you, father, for not killing my brother," Thor declared, thrilled that not only did his brother get to live, but that he would be able to be his keeper, in a sense. Loki scoffed loudly, this time heard by everyone in the grand hall, before laughing sinisterly.

"You fools should have killed me when you had the chance," He spat once more, still laughing as Odin nodded silently to Thor, ignoring his youngest sons outburst once more. The two gods shared a silent moment of understanding before the two separated, the elder returning to his throne, and the younger effortlessly lifting his still chuckling brother off of the floor of the grand hall. He lead him down the long corridors to the outside, both of them silently walking as they approached the rebuilt Bifrost.

Loki laughed bitterly to himself as he took in the sight of the new Bifrost. Still grand and magnificent, but also still weak and easily destroyed. Heimdall, the gate keeper of the Bifrost, looked down at Loki with disdain. The attack from Casket of Ancient Winters still left the golden eyed giant of a man in pain every so often. He could still feel the frost creeping in his veins, as if the coffin of frost still enveloped him. Thor and Heimdall shared a silent moment of understanding before walking together into the Bifrost.

As the giant slid his ornate long sword into the center control for the Bifrost, streaks of electricity arched across the ceiling. The room began to spin rapidly, adjusting to aim at Midgard. A portal of swirling colors and turbulent winds greeted the pair, stirring up clothes and hair. Before the two were absorbed by the wormhole, Loki looked back over his shoulder. Making eye contact with an obviously bitter Gate Keeper, the God of Mischief grinned manically, unsettling the giant before the two brothers was overcome with an intense white light and transported back to the land of Midgard.

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Loki hadn't expected the pain to be so great. He had used the Bifrost and the other gateways possibly hundreds of times, but in his new, weakened form, the pain was excruciating. As soon as they touched ground in Midgard, the now powerless god fell to his knees once more, coughing and dry heaving as he pressed his forehead into the hot sand beneath him. He was blinded and his mind spun, and he greatly wished to have his hands freed just so he could cover his eyes from the intense light of the desert, still bright behind his closed lids. He cursed his weak body, muttering Norse obscenities into the sand, before returning to his feet with the help of his brother tugging on his cuffs.

Now that they had arrived in Midgard and there was no threat in Loki fleeing, Thor removed the heavy shackles from his brothers wrists with great ease. Loki immediately brought his hands to his face, his mind still spinning from the transportation. He brushed the sand from his nose and forehead, only to be suddenly struck by the intensity of the heat in this god forsaken desert. His leather and wool outfit quickly became a burden, the frost giant feeling incredibly exposed in the blazing hot sun of the New Mexico desert.

"Come, brother," Thor started, holding out his arm as if to carry Loki at his side. The dark haired god looked at his brothers arm with a disgusted expression, soon looking up to Thor with disbelief. Loki had lost his powers, not his self respect. He would never stoop as low as to ask for or even accept help from anyone.

"I would more readily accept a swift and painful death in the heat of this accursed place than to assent to your assistance," Loki quickly fumed, obviously suffering in the 100° heat. He panted heavily, slouching against the now painful weight of his armor. Sighing unhappily, Thor simply reached over and scooped up his struggling brother, swinging Mjölnir to gain momentum before taking off into the dry air of New Mexico. Loki continued to fuss and struggle, unable to get Thor to release his grip. He'd rather plummet to his death than be contained by his brother like a child. It was maddening.

It was only a few moments before Thor arrived at a rather unassuming one story home in the middle of town. He released his now furious brother, who immediately stepped away to put distance between them. His face was contorted with anger, lips pulled back in a snarl, eyes narrowing at the blonde.

"Keep your filthy paws to yourself, wretch," he snarled, still trying to not show any signs of discomfort. When had this horrible town become so insanely hot?

"Do not be so rude, you are to be a guest momentarily, Loki," Thor responded, not waiting for the flurry of questions, or rather demands, from his younger brother before pounding on the door in front of them. He had to actively try to hold back his strength so he would not punch a hole through the wood, or destroy the entire frame of the flimsy door.

It was only moments before both the gods heard quiet footsteps from the inside of the house. It was only a second after the being on the other side peeked through the peephole that the door swung open and a young woman with dirty blonde hair fell into the arms of Thor. The Thunder God quickly embraced the female, holding her close to his chest as his smile widened.

"Jane..." Thor cooed, content to hold the young astrophysicist until the world crumbled around them.

"I was so worried about you, Thor! I feared you would never come back..." Jane started, bright blue eyes meeting mocha brown. She looked on the verge of tears, as if all the pain she felt watching the battle on the news was finally coming back.

"Not even the destruction of the nine realms could keep you from me, my love," Thor stated boldly, pulling the woman into his arms once more, holding her against his chest. She closed her eyes and leaned against him once more, her thin arms lacing around his strong neck.

"You make me sick," Loki hissed at his brother, completely and utterly disgusted by his brothers behavior, "You are soft, and it is your weakness."

Jane froze in her tracks, having not noticed the other god standing off to the side of her love. She had been too distracted, seeing Thor after the last great battle he took part in. It only took a few seconds for her to recognize the figure, having seen Loki causing mass destruction on the news. Bless those reporters, brave enough, or desperate enough, to venture into not only an active battlefield, but one filled with superhuman beings.

Jane let out a piercing scream, making Loki flinch back. She hid behind Thor, as if searching for protection from the villain who had recently tried to destroy and conquer her planet. He had tried to kill Thor, he had opened a portal in the center of New York City and flooded the metropolitan streets with Chitauri, intent on destruction and chaos. He was the reason Thor had to leave her in the first place, the reason she couldn't make contact with her lover for half a year.

"Y-You!" she was able to spit out, pointing a trembling hand at the dark figure looming just out of reach. Loki raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly, impressed by the appropriate reaction from the scientist. The humans have learned to fear him and rightfully so. At least it would have been right, had his powers not been hanging from a copper pendant around his brothers neck.

It was only a moment after Jane's statement that a younger looking, much curvier woman burst through the doorway, desperate to find the source of Jane's screech. She first looked to Jane, following her eyes until her sight fell upon Loki, God of Mischief. She took in a sharp intake of air, eyes widening behind her thin glasses. She froze in her tracks, mouth slightly agape as she stared at the man before her. She instantly knew that this was Loki, Thor's brother. She had always been the more observant of the two, having noticed the anomaly first and even having noticed that Thor had fallen out of said anomaly. She should have grabbed her taser from her purse before she ran out here. She should have known better, especially after hearing her best friends scream.

"Hasn't anyone ever taught you that it is rude to stare?" Loki chuckled, still smirking deviously. Having the two women frozen in fear may have been entertaining, but not as entertaining as having two men fearful, or even better, two Avengers. Frightening these two girls was like frightening a hare. Easy, and unfulfilling. He sighed heavily, his smile dropping.

"Stop your quivering, women, your fear of me is unnecessary," he sighed, still struggling to not show any sign of his discomfort. He crossed his arms over his chest, the burning hot leather scorching the skin on his arms. His face contorted slightly, his icy skin burning more and more as he stood in the sun shining brightly on the concrete patio of Jane Foster's home.

"He speaks the truth. You may relax," Thor reassured, half expecting the brunette to come charging out of the house with her own weapon of choice. Thor recalled the intense pain after being not only hit by a van, but tasered too. The hospital was an unwelcomed sight as well.

Jane looked at Thor from her hiding place behind him, giving him a look of uncertainty and disbelief. Thor turned to face her, trying to talk her down from her frantic state. While Thor and Jane discussed, the tiny woman and the God of Mischief maintained eye contact.

"You... you're Loki," she stated, rather than asked. She knew who he was the second she laid eyes on him. However, she still felt the need to ask, as if making sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Loki nodded dully, not even bothering to speak. He kept his arms folded across his chest, eyes fixed on the woman, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

She looked down to the floor, taking a couple deep breaths before stepping forward a couple steps as calmly as she could. Loki smirked once more, impressed by the bravery of the mousy woman before him. He looked her up and down quickly, taking in all the important details: expresso brown hair delicately flowing down her back, brown tank top hanging from her delicate, thin shoulders, a pair of dark wash jeans, long legs, and exceptional breasts. She was certainly the most attractive Midgardian Loki had ever encountered. The only two he could remember distinctly were the Black Widow and Agent Maria and both of them were cold, unfeeling, and hardly feminine. The closest one to feminine was the Black Widow, yet she had the attitude and demeanor of a man. Incredibly unattractive.

The woman did the same up and down as Loki, noticing only two things: one being that this was the man who had tried to invade and conquer her planet, and two, the he was quite possibly the most handsome creature she had ever come into contact with.

"You're... You look a lot different than I thought you would," the stunned brunette stated simply, still terribly frightened, but bravery outweighing the fear. She had always been taught to be strong, or rather she had taught herself. If she couldn't face her fears, taser them. And without her trusty weapon, at her side as much as Mjölnir was at Thor's, she had to face him.

"Oh? And how exactly did you expect the God of Lies to look like, girl?" he responded, a bit taken aback by her forwardness. Jane was still in hysterics, and this bizarre female was actually approaching him. Who was this mortal girl?

"A lot... uglier," she commented, earning a surprised expression from the powerless god. She was transfixed on the chiseled, handsome face of Loki. He wasn't as built as his giant of a brother, but that he still maintained a muscle mass much larger than the average human male. She was almost mesmerized, hoping in the back of her mind that he wouldn't simply reach forward and snap her neck.

"And what is your name, human? What should I call the woman brave enough to voice her opinion to _me_?" he questioned, genuine curiosity in his voice, as he leaned forward, intimidating the mousy girl before him. However, she refused to step back, allowing the dark haired man to invade her space simply so she could prove to him that she didn't fear him. She could feel his cold breath brush against her face, making a shiver shoot up her spine.

"My name is Darcy. Darcy Lewis," she replied, still maintaining eye contact with the terrifying, yet unworldly handsome man.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **For the sake of the reader and their entertainment, I will make sure every chapter is no less than 2,000 words. Also, as a side note, this story will not immediately go into smut. I intend to wait a few more chapters so I can expand upon the characters and their predicament instead of simply throwing them together in some cheesy, lackluster situation in which both characters are out of character. However, for your convenience, I will be sure to label the smutty chapters in a way that the inpatient reader can skim through the story._

_Also, I've combined the four short chapters into two long ones, so don't be concerned when a chapter is missing or something._

_Enjoy._

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"Miss. Lewis," Loki repeated, still not breaking eye contact. Darcy was beginning to become mesmerized, transfixed on the gorgeous green eyes of the villain leaning in so close to her face. She looked like a deer in headlights, her wide, steel colored eyes captivated, her whole body immobile. The god simply chuckled and smiled deviously before pulling away to lean against the side of Jane's home.

Loki was aiming for a dismissive, uninterested look as he leaned against the paneling on the outside of the house, but an involuntary hiss escaped his lips as the scorching leather pressed against his skin and he was face to face with the intense sun once more. He couldn't help but pant lightly, starting to feel delirious from the heat. Darcy's trance was suddenly broken, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. Feeling more than a bit exposed, especially with the man who had tried to enslave Earth, she didn't want to turn her back on him. Or at least that's what she convinced herself of. She couldn't help but notice that Loki was struggling, his face flush, and his eyes glazed over. She felt an odd sense of concern, feeling ashamed of herself for caring about this monstrous man before her.

"Are you alright?" she asked, surprising not only Loki, but herself as well. She almost immediately regretted letting those words slip from her mouth once Loki looked at her like she was a fool. Even though he was suffering endlessly in this hideous desert heat, he would never admit it to anyone, especially not a Midgard woman. He looked away once more, not even giving her an answer, as he feigned disinterest once more. Darcy frowned deeply, internally cursing herself for being so stupid. She finally looked over to Thor and Jane, hoping that Jane would calm down so they could figure out what on Earth they wanted so they could leave.

Finally, Thor finished convincing Jane that his brother wasn't going to kill them all. However, Jane still looked incredibly suspicious. Loki couldn't blame the woman for being cautious, but was continuously baffled by Darcy's willingness to prod the beast on her best friends doorstep. She must be a fool, or perhaps she has a death wish. He refused to accept that she could possibly have already seen a sign of weakness.

"Fine, Thor! Fine, I'll listen. But I want him _out_ of my house immediately," Jane caved, pulling away from Thor and quickly entering her home, not wanting to remain so close to Loki for a moment more. Thor motioned for Darcy to follow Jane, and quickly obliged, entering the house as well. The dark haired man slowly and calmly stepped into the house, followed by his lumbering brother.

Loki was immediately overcome by a frosty breeze, involuntarily releasing a pleased sigh, ecstatic to be out of the insane heat. He regained his composure before anyone could notice his slip, and waiting patiently for the dreadful conversation to begin. Thor entered the room as well, gently closing the front door behind him.

Jane and Darcy immediately took a seat together on a large, worn, pale brown sofa in front of a long coffee table cluttered with papers, schematics, and books of various different sciences. The god of thunder sat next to Jane on the other end of the sofa, the old wood frame creaking under his sudden weight. Jane continued to glare at Loki menacingly, still furious over his presence, especially in her home. Infuriating her more, Loki sat gingerly on the remaining loveseat, sitting as far away from the group as possible.

"Jane, I need a favor," Thor blurted, not very tactful in his approach. Jane stopped glaring at Loki to look to her lover. She would do anything for the blonde haired man, but if it involved the devious god of mischief, she didn't know if she could say yes. Thor picked up on this almost immediately.

"For his crimes in Midgard, Loki had his magic and his strength removed," Thor blurted once more, never being one for pointless back and fourth. While he greatly enjoyed spending time with his love, he couldn't stand to see her so blatantly furious. However, as soon as the statement slipped out of his lips, both women shared a shocked intake of breath. They both looked to Loki, as if the change would be physically noticeable, but the dark haired man just sighed and returned his gaze to his brother.

"He is as a human now, his abilities now contained in a magical amulet crafted by the great Allfather himself," Thor continued, gesturing to the copper, serpent shaped pendant hanging from his broad neck. Loki scowled at the word 'human', not even bothering to hide his displeasure. Thor sighed loudly as he looked to his brother once more, no longer in hideous, heat-related agony, but still furious.

"What are you Jane started to ask, before being silenced by a gentle finger.

"Let me finish, my love," Thor explained softly, not wanting to upset the mortal woman of his dreams, but also wanting to explain the situation fully, "His powers will only be returned when I have deemed Loki to have been rehabilitated. For him to no longer desire evil. And it is with this information that I ask of you to grant me a single boon."

Jane just nodded slowly, not yet accepting, but not denying. Thor set a heavy hand on Jane's thigh, looking into her eyes with a face conveying as much desperation and sincerity that he could muster.

"I need someone to look after my brother. I have joined the Avengers, and they often call upon me to assist in very distant lands on Midgard. And if I were to give Loki to your human organization S.H.I.E.L.D, he would be tortured and killed. It is without question that I cannot leave him unattended to roam this world as he pleases, so I am in a very distressing predicament..." Thor pleaded, earning a displeased sigh from his brother, ashamed to be handed off to some _human_. Was he so weak that he would require a woman to be his sitter? He placed an elbow on the arm of the loveseat, placing his forehead in his palm as he cursed silently to himself.

Thor looked deeply into Jane's eyes, pleading with her, only to have Jane turn away. She looked to her floor was a face of contemplation and disgust before turning to face her lover once more.

"I can't do it, Thor, love... I just can't," she replied. She couldn't stand to look at the face of the man who almost killed everything and everybody that she held dear, including Thor. Twice. She couldn't stand to look into the distressed eyes of her lover, soon turning to look back to the floor once again.

"I know no other human on Earth who could keep this confidential. I cannot trust any of my brethren from the Avengers, they would immediately seek to destroy him, and they would succeed," Thor pleaded, not even phasing the dirty blonde woman on the couch next to him. She continued to stare at the floor, trying her best not to feel moved.

"Jane, I cannot allow my brother to die! He may have done some horrible things, but I cannot sacrifice my own blood simply for the satisfaction of revenge for these people. I only ask that you allow him to stay in your lodging until he has recovered and can return to Asgard," Thor continued, the desperation in his voice making his brother sick. Loki wasn't ill, he didn't have his powers removed because he was temporarily insane. He was furious, vengeful, and born to rule. Conquering and ruling Midgard was the obvious route for a man of his stature, of his ability to command.

The god of thunder sat dejected, hand still on Jane's thigh, eyes still pleading with the astrophysicist. All Loki needed was a chance, he thought, and everything would work out for the best. But still, she continued to gaze at the floor, opinion unchanged, unwavering. She would not accept. Just when Thor started to lose hope, sitting in silence as if waiting for Jane to change her mind, a small, unconfident voice echoed in the small living room.

"I'll do it..." Darcy whispered, transfixed on the dark haired man now staring at her as if she had gone mad. She looked from Loki to Thor, confidence, but fear in her eyes.

"Darcy, are you sure you understand what such a task entails?" Thor asked, stunned that Darcy would even consider volunteering, let alone actually go for it. He knew that she was a powerful, foolhardy woman, but she knew nothing of his brother aside from news footage and what Jane had discussed with her. Why would she help Thor, especially when it came to such a daunting task?

"Not entirely, but I understand the important parts that guarantee I won't die," Darcy replied simply, turning her gaze from Thor, who still stared in disbelief, to Jane, who was gawking at her with an expression of horror, to Loki, who looked more curious than anything else.

"Who is to say I would not kill you, girl?" Loki questioned, fascinated by the thought process that allowed her to draw such a bold conclusion so quickly. The edges of his lips turned down, eyebrows raised as he looked to her, waiting for an answer.

"Because you want your powers back," Darcy stated, refusing to back down. She returned his gaze full on, not breaking eye contact as he seemed to stare into her soul. As soon as the words left her mouth, Loki's face dropped. He looked to the floor, lacing his fingers together over his knee before going into thought. He knew she had him backed into a corner. It's either kill his brother and be hunted for the rest of eternity by every being in the 9 realms, including the Chitauri, still furious about the loss of a main battleship. Loki wasn't a fool, he knew he had to convince Thor of his 'rehabilitation' if he was to rule ever again. And killing this mortal woman would do nothing but hurt his plans.

Thor was very pleased with Darcy's thought process. She was indeed a smart, cunning woman if she could figure that out so quickly. Thor knew that his brother wouldn't try to hurt anyone close to him with the dark haired gods powers still trapped within the enchanted amulet. Loki was no fool.

"And because you wouldn't hurt a woman," Darcy boldly added after she gave Loki a second to think. The dark haired prince immediately swung his head around to stare into her eyes once more. As he sat, caught between rage, confusion, and the blinding desire to prove her wrong, Darcy smiled. It was in this moment that Loki was completely caught off guard. This woman approached him before she even knew he was powerless, accepted the task of looking after him on Midgard, and now she was already making assumptions about his personality. However, there was something in her own mischievous smile that Loki couldn't place, something that he felt a strange desire to explore...

"She is right, brother. When Laufey knocked mother unconscious, you killed him immediately. Never in my life have I seen you hit a woman," Thor added, earning a disgruntled sigh from Loki and a wider smile from Darcy. If she could figure out so much about Loki so quickly, she could handle him. He was mortal now, so there was no worry of him trying to control her mind or simply teleporting to another dimension. He was trapped, and if he wanted his powers, he would have to give up evil.

As the two spoke, Loki distinctly remembered threatening Black Widow from inside the Hulk's cage. He fondly remembered saying that he would take over Hawkeye's mind and use his body to torture and kill her. The pale skinned man would remain true to that statement, and one day, when his powers returned to him, he would take control of Clint's body and use him to torture and kill Natasha. She was a soldier and she was a threat. However, when it came to these tiny, non-threatening, and weak human females, he wouldn't hurt them. There was no satisfaction in killing such a frail and tiny thing. Even when he tried to kill the elderly man outside of the museum, he hadn't wanted to. The man was threatening his dominance and could have incited a riot. If he had succeeded and got the other humans to join him, Loki would have been forced to kill every person in the crowd. There is no satisfaction in killing the weak, so he simply took the most logical route.

"You are indeed an observant, cunning woman, Darcy, and I feel you will have little trouble with my brother." Thor confidently stated, a smile stretching across his wide face. Jane, finally recovering from Darcy's decision to look after Loki, turned to face Darcy with a disgusted expression on her face.

"Darcy! He took over Erik and used him to do his bidding! He tried to kill Thor! Again! And you want to just let him in your house?" Jane yelled, unable to comprehend why Darcy would decide to take such a foolish path. She understood Loki wanted his powers back more than he wanted to hurt her, but what if that changed along the road? What if he found a way to return his powers without Thor?

"Jane, I'm not an idiot, although it feels like it right now... but it's the right thing to do. I _feel_ like it's the right thing to do," Darcy elaborated, just earning more panic from her best friend and her partner. It hurt to have Erik mentioned, because his kidnapping and brainwashing was still an open wound. However, the hazelnut haired woman simply couldn't ignore what she felt was right. Loki continued to stare at the woman as if she had gone completely insane.

"Maybe he's not evil, maybe he's just an... antihero*?" she suggested once more, pressing herself into the arm of the couch in an attempt to escape Jane's glare. Thor placed a hand on Jane's shoulder, breaking her attention from the nervous but brave brunette to focus on the thunder god himself.

"I believe you are correct. I have known my brother for a thousand years, and it was only when he recently discovered his birth parents that he became so violent and inconsolable," the blonde explained, divulging more of Loki's past to the woman who would be helping him reform. She listened intently, very fascinated by the subject.

"You are a fool to believe I can be fixed, like some child's toy. I was born a monster and kidnapped to be raised into a lie. I have a birthright that will be fulfilled, and you cannot stop me from taking it," the dark haired god declared as he rose to his feet, earning more than a fair amount of fear from Jane, but only a startled glance from Darcy. The brown-haired woman simply looked back to Thor, as if waiting for instructions. The god of mischief, furious that no one was paying him any mind, scowled in anger and walked to stand close to the door. He dreaded the heat of the outside, but longed to get away from his brother. If living with this rather clever but human woman meant his powers would be returned sooner, he would endure.

"Do you truly accept to help in my brothers reformation? This is not a task to be taken lightly," Thor asked once more, looking into Darcy's eyes, waiting for her response with hope in his bright blue orbs. Before Jane could even take the breath in to argue, he was given an answer.

"Yes, I'll do it... But you'll still come by every so often to make sure I'm not... dead... right?" Darcy asked quietly, fear still in her eyes. She was obviously scared, from the cracking of her voice and her skittish posture, but she was brave. She kept her head held high, almost giving off a regal air about her.

"Of course. I would not simply leave my brother to his own devices, especially with such a close friend," Thor replied as he stood, trying to comfort his first friend on Earth. The moment he landed and locked eyes with Jane, it was love. But the moment he landed and locked eyes with Darcy, he woke up in the hospital. She could handle the disempowered god with nothing more than her wit and taser.

Thor held out his hand to Darcy, a wide smile plastered on his face. He thought that he would have had to give custody of Loki to S.H.I.E.L.D. Or The Avengers. He knew that if that was the case, the torture Loki would be forced to endure would stop any progress or hope for future progress. He would never recover, and thus, he would die on this planet. Thor just needed someone he could trust and who could keep a low profile to look after his brother for a short time.

"Okay, I'll do it," Darcy replied, this time with more confidence, as she came to her feet and reached out to shake Thor's hand. As soon as their hands touched, the blonde haired man pulled the brunette to him, giving her a hug like family.

"Thank you," was all Thor said before pulling away, letting Darcy recompose herself. She just smiled, turning to look at Loki, who was impatiently crowding the front door. He was obviously sick of his situation. Feeling powerless had him feeling naked, especially compared to his now infinitely more powerful brother. All the centuries trying to prove to Asgard that Loki and Thor were equals, lost. By now all of the realms knew of his weakness, and mocked him from their distant galaxies. He simply wanted to rest.

It wasn't long before Jane assaulted Darcy with her concerns and fears, desperately trying to convince her friend that letting the god of mischief live with her would be deadly, and that she could get seriously hurt. Darcy seemed to understand what Jane was talking about, but still refused to change her mind, trying to explain her own feelings to the frantic blonde woman. It was only after Jane was calmed down enough to let her leave with the god, that the two finally departed.

Darcy left her best friend at her house, guiding Loki from the air conditioned home to her well-loved Volvo. It was only moments before Darcy noticed his discomfort from the heat once more and turned on the air conditioner in her car. She looked at his leather and wool attire and made a note to find his some more comfortable clothes. She put the tiny car in gear before taking off down the sand-covered desert roads to her quaint condo in the northern part of the city. The trip was taken in complete silence, neither party speaking and Thor quietly following from above to make sure nothing bad happened. Once Loki quietly, and dejectedly, followed Darcy into her condo and all was calm for the half hour Thor spied on them, the blonde haired god left, returning to reunite with his lover once more.

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_* **Antihero**: Generally considered to be a protagonist whose character doesn't follow the conventional standards of right and wrong, but still has heroic qualities._


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:** For those of you who have felt you missed a chapter between Ch.3 and Ch.4, you're right! I combined the first four shorter chapters into two longer chapters. So, if you feel like you're missing something, just go back to Ch.2 and catch up._

_Also, while a condo and an apartment are different, I use the two words freely to describe Darcy's home. It's quite irritating reading the same word over and over again._

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The entire drive was taken in complete silence, neither of them sure of what to say. Darcy felt the overwhelming urge to introduce Loki to every single thing on the planet, but she had to remember that he was a god, not someone who just crawled out of a cave for the first time in their life. She made a few awkward turns down various back roads until she pulled up in her specifically marked parking space, the lot planted right behind a large tan and brown building filled with condos.

As soon as Loki stepped out of the Volvo, he felt the heat of the New Mexico sun beat down on him once more. The frost giant longed to step back into the chilled vehicle, exhausted from his day in the relentless sun. He had only been outside for a maximum of two hours, so he seriously contemplated his tolerance to the inescapable heat as he followed Darcy up a set of concrete stairs leading from the parking lot to the condos.

As she lead Loki up the walkway to her first-story condo, she could practically feel his eyes burning holes in the back of her head. She had to resist the shiver that wanted to shoot up her spine, trying to look cool, calm, and collected in front of the man that she was certain could still kill her. Loki walked silently behind her, taking in the sights that he was certain he would grow sick up immediately. A single, long building resided in the center of the complex, various tenants going in and out with bundles of clothing. The condos were stacked three at a time, pressed together in a way that made Loki contemplate why humans would choose to live in such crowded conditions.

Darcy approached her front door, room 003, and briefly fumbled with her purse before pushing her house key into the lock. She opened the door, revealing her tiny, but quaint apartment to the god of mischief. She motioned for him to enter first, feeling the same excitement she always felt whenever she brought someone to her home for the first time. Loki stepped through the threshold, reveling in the chilled air before taking in all the details of her condo.

Darcy's condo was small, but the furniture was arranged in a way that allowed walking space. The walls were painted an off-white color and littered with various posters and paintings. Her living room had a L-shaped, dark green couch pressed into the corner next to a rickety wooden coffee table, covered in texts books, notes, and empty coffee cups. A small TV sat in the center of a black wood entertainment center, the remaining shelves stuffed with more books, photo albums, and game consoles. Her kitchen comprised of a refrigerator, a microwave, an oven, and a sink, with just enough space to squeeze a kitchen table covered in a green and white checked table cloth and two chairs into the corner. Her closet-sized bathroom was just enough to jam in a toilet constricted between the counter and a bath lined in white tile. She was lucky to have gotten a two bedroom condo, both of which were actually bedrooms. She had her room, her sanctuary, and another bedroom for anyone of her friends who needed a place to sleep for the night. Little did she know at the time that one day she would be having a guest of this magnitude.

"Welcome to my humble abode," she introduced nervously, trying to read his blank expression as his eyes scanned across the apartment. He stood in silence for a moment, feeling incredibly out of place in her home. He shouldn't be here, he should be ruling New York City from Stark Tower, enforcing his rule by placing the heads of their heroes on pikes surrounding Central Park. He scowled briefly, earning a disappointed frown from Darcy.

'_Of course he would hate it,_' Darcy thought to herself with a bitter frown, '_He's a god, and a prince at that..._'

"I was expecting you to take me to the hovels you humans normally inhabit. However, despite the cramped conditions of your dwelling, I find it to be acceptable," Loki concluded, interrupting the brunette's negative thought process. She looked up towards him, a surprised expression on her face as the male turned to look at her.

"Thank you?" she questioned, pondering on whether or not his statement was meant to be a compliment or an insult. Loki nodded once before sauntering into the living room and placing himself on the dark green couch. He silently applauded her use of the color green, sighing through his nose before turning his attention to the myriad of texts books strewn across the chipped and scratched coffee table.

Darcy accepted that his statement was a compliment, but still stood in the middle of the living room, staring intently at Loki. She hadn't expected him to integrate himself so well into her home. She expected him to at least ask a few questions, to be at least slightly curious. The dark haired male looked back towards Darcy after finishing the paragraph in her textbook on the various isotopes of Oxygen, and found her staring at him as if he still donned his full battle regalia.

"Is there... something amiss, Miss. Lewis?" he asked politely, actively trying to be courteous. He may be forced to live in this clustered condo, but he did not want to seem petty. Behaving so childishly would simply instill the thought in her that all Asgardians were brutish, mannerless creatures like his brother. He cringed internally as his brain painfully reminded him that he was Jotunn and that the appropriate way for a frost giant to behave would be to destroy the house, and kill and eat the girl. He looked into her eyes, silently waiting for her reply as he pushed his internal struggle into the back of his mind.

"Oh, uhh... I was just expecting you to be less... comfortable. It almost seems like you've lived here for years," Darcy responded, breaking eye contact briefly so she could close and dead bolt her front door. It did seem to her like Loki had been there for years, silently judging the contents of her text books, and looking gorgeous. She shook her head lightly, as if to knock the thoughts out of her head, before turning to roll open the blinds in her living room to let in some of the receding sunlight.

"Your world is not so different from mine. I believe this is partially due to Asgardians periodically visiting your world to instill different ideas that would assist in your progress as a race. I suppose Thor's father grew bored of such a humiliatingly unimpressive species occupying one of the nine realms," Loki responded, contemplating briefly out loud before returning to the Chemistry text book that he had grown a faint interest in.

"I thought Odin was your dad too," Darcy questioned, moving to sit on the side of the couch opposite of Loki. She may have felt oddly safe around him, but she refused to take a chance. She immediately regretted her question as Loki's face turned from an expression of mild interest to anger.

"As you should already know, if you had paid attention to my brutish brother, that he is _not_ my father," he responded, malice coating his every word. It was obvious to Darcy that he hated the man, but she would wait until later, or maybe never, to ask him.

"I know he's not your blood dad, but he still raised you, right? That makes him your dad," Darcy replied, a bit of hope in her voice. Only an hour in, and she was already trying to help him with his family problems. The dark haired god's scowl simply deepened, leaving deep creases in between his eyebrows and between his nose and lip. His eyes narrowed at the brunette questioning his heritage, fury blatant in his emerald orbs.

"What could you possibly know of such matters, human?" Loki responded with a hiss, resorting to calling her a human instead of Miss. Lewis when he got angry. He glared at her, furious that she would make such assumptions about his life.

"I'm adopted too, you know," the brunette responded quietly, looking down at the dirty coffee cups on her table, not wanting to look at Loki while he was so furious. He may be disempowered, but he was still frightening when he was angry. She sat in the silence that followed her statement before looking back. His expression had softened into a look that almost resembled regret. He looked to the textbook on the table once more, as if thinking, as he folded his hands in his lap. Darcy relaxed, grateful that his rage had simmered down, as she quietly waited for his response.

"I suppose I owe you an apology, for whatever it is worth. Very little, I suspect," Loki half-apologized, looking back to Darcy after a moment of contemplation. Darcy was happy, however, convinced that this was the best apology that the god of mischief would ever bare to utter. She smiled briefly before standing, disappearing into the hallway of her tiny condo. It was only a moment before she called the dark-haired male to follow her, and he slowly, but unhappily, obliged.

Following where her voice was echoing from, he entered the guest bedroom, finding her deep within a closet filled to the brim with various articles of clothing. She had slowly accumulated different clothes, from the ones her friends had left when they spent a week over at her home, to clothes that her ex-boyfriends had left behind. She just washed and threw them all in her junk closet.

She emerged, pulling out a dark green t-shirt with black splotches, akin to a Rorschach test, which she could now see was much too large for Loki, and a thin, long-sleeve white button up dress shirt. She threw the button up onto the queen sized bed before diving into the closet once more, this time pulling out a pair of black dress slacks. She knew that this was a classy outfit her ex had worn to a formal event they had gone to together, but she pushed the memory into the back of her mind as she handed the two articles of clothing to the male. He simply looked down at the clothes with disbelief, soon looking back up to her.

"Are you suggesting I wear these?" he asked, regretting having not morphed into his regular attire before having his powers removed. At least he could be comfortable in his new prison. Needless to say, he had been distracted by more important things when Odin's incorporeal fist was jammed in his sternum.

"I can tell the heat is bothering you," she stated blatantly, earning a surprised glance from Loki. He seemed embarrassed that she had noticed the weakness, and silently vowed to himself to have more self control. He couldn't appear to be weak in front of these humans, he was a prince.

"The shirt is long-sleeved, but it'll help prevent sunburn. Just wear it, you'll be more comfortable," Darcy continued, before turning to leave the room. The dark-haired male sighed dejectedly as he looked to the clothes, before looking to Darcy as she exited the room and shut the door to give him privacy.

After a moment, he set his new attire on the bed, reaching to his chest to undo the straps and fasteners that kept his leather cuirass flush against his chest. The armor dropped to the floor with a heavy thud, the god of mischief already feeling less overwhelmed with the weighty gear removed. He removed his protective under clothing, revealing a pale skinned expanse of clearly defined muscles and sharp scars. His greaves and gloves followed his cuirass, forming a heavy pile of leather, metal plating, and wool at the corner of the bed. He now stood in just a pair of black under shorts, virtually identical to boxers, standing comfortably as the 60° blast of frigid air cascaded down his back.

"You done yet?" Darcy asked, not waiting for a response before entering the room. He couldn't have taken more than 10 minutes to put on the change of clothes, and because she didn't necessarily trust him in her house yet. She froze in her tracks, a furiously bright red blush flooding her cheeks the moment she saw a half-naked Loki, perched on the edge of the bed, basking in the air conditioning. She began blatantly staring at his well-defined chest and pale, broad shoulders, with thin, long scars going from his shoulder to the middle of his back and thicker, more defines scars that looked akin to an animal attack. His raven locks reached his shoulders and flipped up at the nape of his neck, a few stray strands falling across his face. He was leaning forward onto his knees, his thin but solid biceps flexing slightly. His legs were thin, but still muscular, one foot kicked up on the metal frame of the bed and the other resting flat on the carpeted floor. As he looked to her with a curious expression, one eyebrow raised as he waited for what she had to say, she became transfixed on his eyes once more. She had never seen any eye color so intricate, so unique, and so _green_. Eyes she could get lost in.

"I d-don't... I'm so... I-I-I..." she stuttered, blush getting darker by the second as she continued to stare. He simply chuckled lightly to himself as she fumbled over her words, finding it almost endearing. He couldn't help but feel pride as she found herself unable to look away from the gorgeous man perched in her guest bedroom.

"Would you like to join me?" the god of mischief purred, gesturing to the spot on the bed next to him. He found it incredibly difficult to hold back the fit of laughter that wanted to wrack through him as the brunette coughed on her stuttered words, eyes widening behind her glasses.

She could freely admit that she wanted to jump his bones, but she could also convince herself that that definitely was not the right thing to do. She should be able to help Loki without looking like she just wanted a boyfriend. Sure, she had been jealous when Thor fell for Jane, but she wouldn't make up for it with trying to bang the god of mischief the first day they even met.

She stumbled over her words once more, somehow able to blurt out 'dress' and 'clothes' before fleeing out of the door. Her face still burned as she quickly closed the door behind her, the image of that handsome man burned into her memory forever. She panted lightly, her heart pounding in her chest as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She quickly went to her bathroom to wash her face with cold water as she heard Loki's dark, sultry chuckle rumble through the door...


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** Tom Hiddleston fun fact: He played Captain Nicholls in the 2011 film 'War Horse'._

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Darcy leaned against the counter on her palms, staring at the blushing girl in the mirror. She looked like a hot mess, her hair tangled and wild, her cheeks cherry red. She quickly brushed out her hair before splashing some icy cold water on her face, desperately willing the blush to fade. However, she couldn't get the image of Loki almost completely naked, sitting on the edge of the bed out of her thoughts. Every time her mind went back to his emaciated, but muscular body, or, even worse, his mischievous green eyes, her cheeks would burn. She swallowed back the lump in her throat, her heartbeat finally returning to normal. She shouldn't be fawning over Loki like a school girl, she had to be remain composed if she wanted the God of Mischief have any respect for her whatsoever.

It was a few minutes before Darcy finally gathered the nerve to exit the bathroom, breathing deeply and trying her best to not stumble over her words again. She wanted to seem collected, intelligent, and not so easily phased by a pretty face. She wanted to be able to help Loki, for him to give up evil and regain his powers, not obsess over him and then bed him.

She sighed heavily before unconsciously holding her breath as she passed the guest bedroom. She could envision Loki, still perched on the side of the bed, his face leaning towards the blast of cold air from the air conditioner. She blushed deeply before hurrying down the hall to the kitchen. She began to busy herself with making a pot of tea, trying her best to not think about the handsome man now living in her guest bedroom. She leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed her arms over her voluptuous breasts as she waited for the teapot to heat up. As she stared at the pot, her mind began to wander to the dark haired god once more.

She contemplated simply reentering the room and taking that spot next to him. She thought about leaning over onto him, and how he would lean down to press his lips to hers. She thought about how he would push her down onto the bed and ravage her neck and breasts with kisses, licks, and little bites. How he would rip off her clothes like an animal until he settled between her legs. How she would lace her fingers in his raven locks and look into those captivating green eyes of his as he finally pushed forward and...

She jumped as her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a loud screech from the tea pot. She gulped, feeling her heart beat in her throat. She realized that she had been standing there for at least 20 minutes fantasizing about her house guest, mouth slightly agape and blush burning into her cheeks. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images that would grace her dreams tonight before bringing her attention back to the tea. She turned off the stove and moved the tea kettle to another burner, the sound of the screeching dying out immediately.

Darcy gave herself a moment to recover before removing two mugs from her cupboard, 'Las Vegas' printed in colorful text on both cups. She dropped two tea bag labels 'Chamomile' into their respective cups before pouring in the hot water. She let the tea bags steep in the water for a minute before adding a bit of white sugar and taking a sip. 'Perfect' she thought to herself as she set down her cup, removing the tea bags from both cups and throwing them in the trash. She gathered up Loki's tea and a napkin as she approached the door to the guest bedroom, still fighting her fantasies of bedding the God of Lies. She paused in front of the door before knocking gingerly, this time waiting for a response. When she heard nothing, she knocked once more lightly, calling out his name.

"Loki? Are you in there?" she asked softly through the door, listening closely for an answer. After a few moments of silence, she decided to enter the room once more.

Darcy braced herself for what she might see, some part of her mind hoping that this time the dark haired god would be completely naked, as she slowly opened the door. Glancing around the room, her eyes fell upon a sleeping Loki, splayed out across the queen-sized bed. He had angled his body in a way that he would still get hit by the A/C, but could still stretch comfortably. Looking at him spread out on her guest bed, she really got a feel as to how large the man was. His six foot frame barely fit onto the mattress, one arm hanging off the side of the bed, touching the floor with ease, as one of his feet hung off the end of the bed. He snored lightly, which Darcy found surprisingly human and very endearing. He looked so peaceful when he slept. His whole face relaxed, although he still had a small smile on his face, the edge of his lip perked up just slightly. She smiled sweetly at the God's sleeping form before exiting quietly, not wanting to disturb him.

For the rest of the night as she drank both her and Loki's tea, she had a permanent smile of her face. Her feelings of sexual frustration were replaced by images of his captivating body sprawled out across her bed. As darkness fell and midnight rolled around, Darcy suddenly felt very weary, and decided to go to bed herself. After slipping out of her brown tank top, dark wash jeans, and her black push up bra, she fell into her bed, struggling with her lavender comforter until she found a comfortable spot. As she laid in the darkness of her room, slipping into unconsciousness, images of pale skin and green eyes flooded her mind...

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When daylight finally broke through the sliding glass doors that lead to her patio, Darcy awoke. She glanced over at her alarm clock, bleary eyed and barely made out the 8:24 AM shining at her in bright red numbers. She grumbled loudly, expressing her displeasure for waking up, before she finally sat up in bed. Not bothering to dress herself appropriately, assuming that she was alone in her home in her half-asleep state, she exited her room in just a baggy Iron Maiden t-shirt she butchered to be a tank top and a pair of tiny forest green shorts that barely showed underneath the shirt. She entered her kitchen, clueless about the dark haired god sitting at her kitchen table, admiring her body.

A deep chuckle rose from Loki's chest, a toothy grin gracing his sharp chin and cheeks, as he slowly sipped at the tea he had made himself much earlier. Darcy, having been preoccupied with making herself a pot of coffee, yelped and spun around, facing the God of Mischief, still comfortably seated at her kitchen table. Her cheeks immediately began to burn again, a painful reminder of what they had gone through yesterday. She found herself struggling to get any words out, stunned and rooted in the center of the kitchen.

"I must say, I approve of your choice in attire. Quite... Provocative," Loki complimented, purring his last word as he leaned back in his chair as he enjoyed his drink. He was dressed in the white button up top, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top three buttons undone, exposing his sharp jutting collar bones and the top of his built chest. His shirt was tucked into his black slacks, the entire suit, besides the coat, tie, and sweater vest, fitting him perfectly. He looked as if he was ready for a formal event, not sitting in Darcy's kitchen.

"I prepared you a cup of tea, but only if you decide to join me in your current attire," the dark haired man suggested with a smirk, gesturing to Darcy and her lack of clothing. Refusing to back down, she slowly began to step forward before she took a seat in the chair across from Loki. She felt more comfortable half concealed by the kitchen table, however, the cherry red blush still remained, only lightening when she took a sip of the tea Loki pushed towards her. It was still warm, but not hot like Darcy enjoyed. He had prepared the same chamomile tea she had made last night, but she drank anyways, staring at the man seated on the other side of her.

"So do you flirt with all the Midgardian girls?" Darcy teased lightly, trying to start a conversation. She continued to stare at him, finding him to be incredibly attractive dressed in the suit. She raised her eyebrows as she waited for a response, taking a large sip from her tea. She was trying her hardest to be strong and collected today, even deciding against fleeing in shameful terror at Loki's offer. However, when Loki simply returned the smile, placing a heavy foot on the rim of the chair in between her legs, her composure was lost. She let in a startled intake of air, almost choking on her tea as she looked to him with widened eyes and parted lips. He just chuckled darkly once more, leaning forward onto his hands as he rested his elbows on the table, before he replied.

"Only with you, sweet thing," he purred once again, finding great pleasure in taunting the poor girl. If he was being forced to remain on this miserable little planet, he would have to find some way to entertain himself. And making a beautiful woman blush interested him very much.

Darcy could feel heat pooling in her stomach, a wetness seeping into her panties. She could barely look into her guests face, trying to deny the shameless desire to leap across the table and straddle the god, almost desperate to fulfill the dreams that were slowly coming back to her. She couldn't even move from her spot in the chair without Loki moving his foot, but it seemed like that wasn't happening.

The god, feeling how flustered she was, and even feeling the heat emanating off of her, dropped his foot back to the ground after gently brushing the inside of her thigh. It was in this moment that he felt a strange sensation, like goose bumps in his stomach. He refused to pay the feeling any mind, trying to push what he knew it meant into the back of his mind. This was a Midgardian girl, not a goddess.

Darcy couldn't explain how badly she had wanted him to knock over her kitchen table and attack her, to pin her against the wall and take her, but she could never admit it. A part of her regretted accepting Thor's offer, her mind trying to tell her that to sleep with Loki was wrong, that he was the villain. But another, stronger part of her realized how much she wanted him, and how badly she wanted him to be good. All that she really knew is that she desperately wanted the god in her bed. To roll in the sheets together, a blur of moans, kissing, and skin.

It was in this moment, as Darcy sat, dumbfounded, lost in her own mind, that Loki stood, brushing past her softly. She shivered as he barely touched her, still feeling his delicate touch on her shoulder even as he poured himself another glass of tea. She inhaled deeply as he passed, taking in his scent. He smelt fresh, like the day after a long rainstorm, or the crisp, clean air of the mountains. It was when he turned to walk back to his seat that Darcy stood, purposefully leaning down slightly as she retrieved her half-finished cup. He paused for a moment, briefly wondering how a woman of her beauty could have possibly been born on Midgard. When she finally turned, eyes half lidded, lips slightly parted, cheeks rosy, and forced eye contact with the God of Mischief, she met his devious grin with a coy smile of her own. As she walked passed him, she lightly brushed her round hips against him, before heading down the hallway into her room.

Loki simply chuckled lightly, excited by their little game, before entering the living room to search for an acceptable book in Darcy's entertainment center.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:** I'm sorry for the delay on this new chapter. My 'plot bunnies' (learned that phrase recently) were not cooperating. However, I decided today was going to be the day I published another chapter._

_A special thanks to chuuulip and all you tumblr kids for advertising my fanfic. I'm very flattered..._

_Also, while this story is labeled as a drama, there are going to be a few silly, comic-relief type situations. You can only expect so much from a comical character such as Darcy. Enjoy everyone._

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While Darcy busied herself with changing into a more acceptable outfit, Loki continued to sift through her tiny library. Brushing over a few shelves of textbooks and folders full of notes, he came to a shelf dedicated to poetry. He brushed over a few books whose authors names didn't appeal to him, before falling on a thick, leather bound tomb labeled 'The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe'. Finding himself curious about the name, and finding it somehow familiar. He pulled the book from its place on the shelf, returning to his seat on one end of the couch.

Starting the book from the beginning, he came across a poem called 'An Acrostic'. He continued through three other poems and half of a short story before Darcy emerged from her bedroom, now clad in a black, low cut tank top, a thin, forest green, flowing cardigan, her usual thin frame glasses, and a pair of skin tight jeans. Her mahogany hair flowed elegantly down her shoulders, delicately curling to frame her face.

Loki found himself staring at her, transfixed. He quickly returned to his book, desperately trying to continue from his place in the middle of 'The Angel of the Odd' without thinking of the brunette rattling around dishes in her tiny kitchen.

_'She is beautiful, for a filthy Midgardian,' _He contemplated silently as he tried to continue reading the works of Poe.

His mind continued to wander, contemplating why this woman whom he had never met had decided to be his 'sitter'. What were her intentions? Did she believe she could harness his magic for herself? Was she going to kill him now that he was in his weakened state? He soon realized that he had been reading the same sentence over and over again, and shut the book with a loud clap, gingerly placing it on top of one of the open textbooks on the table.

He doubted her benignant actions, secretly wondering what her plan was. It was impossible that she would just help him, in his mind. He was a monster, and she simply let him into her house. She was obviously comforted by the fact that his powers had been removed and trapped within a enchanted pendant, but she must know that he could still kill her in a moment if he chose.

Trapped within his mind, he was caught off guard by a simple question from the kitchen.

"How do you like your eggs?" Darcy questioned in a raised voice from the kitchen, the smell of cooking eggs and batter wafting into the living room. As soon as the smell reached the dark haired god, he felt a painful cramping in his stomach. When was the last time he ate? Before he came to Midgard weeks ago?

"I would prefer savuporo munakokkeli," he replied after a moment of thought, the recipe's name spoken in a moment. The sound of cooking came to an abrupt halt as Darcy, with a perplexed expression on her face, emerged to peek at Loki from her tiny kitchen.

"Savu-... What in the hell did you just ask me to make?" Darcy questioned, not even able to repeat the word back to the god. She furrowed her eyebrows, one corner of her lip pulled back in a disbelieving expression. Loki simply sighed.

"What is the witless human way of explaining this..." he began, frustrated, before slowly explaining, "'Scrambled' eggs and smoked reindeer."

Darcy simply looked at him as if he had gone completely insane. She knew that Asgardians had bizarre foods, but she hadn't expected such a strange request. He couldn't really believe that she could make that, like she had the money or the resources to cook such an outlandish meal...

"Umm... Well... you see... I'm fresh out of reindeer, so how about bacon?" she replied, deciding to simply go with it. No need explaining that there was no way she could get reindeer meat in the middle of New Mexico.

"What is bacon?" the raven haired male asked, not familiar with the various meats of Midgard. What kind of bizarre beast did this 'bacon' come from?

"You'll find out soon enough. Just give me a minute, I'll just make you a plate of normal, human food," Darcy replied before reentering her kitchen and quickly finishing the meal she had been preparing. After dumping all of her used dishes haphazardly in the kitchen sink, she placed two plates and two cups on the coffee table in her living room. She went back to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of syrup and ketchup. As she sat down, she found Loki eying his food suspiciously.

"It's pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. And the drink is Orange Juice. I know it's not as fancy as reindeer, but try it. You need to eat, you know," the brunette directed before beginning on her own meal. Starting with a big bite of her own strips of bacon. As she chewed, she noticed that Loki still stared at his meal with disbelief.

"Okay, I'll bite, what's wrong with it?" she asked after swallowing, setting the bacon back down on her napkin. She rested an elbow on her knee, propping up her head as she stared at him with raised eyebrows. Sure he had to be used to the delicacies in Asgard, but he couldn't just starve.

"How can I know this meal isn't poisoned?" he asked bluntly. He looked to her with an expectant look on his face, waiting for her answer, as he intertwined his fingers and rested them on his knee.

"Are you serious right now?" she asked, plopping her face into the palm of her hand, "First off, I don't even know _how_ to poison somebody. I guess it would be appropriate to worry if say, Black Widow was making you breakfast... Besides, I made a promise to Thor. I don't break promises, especially when it involves murder."

The god continued to stare at his meal while Darcy dipped a spoonful of scrambled eggs into a pool of ketchup and brought it to her mouth. Sighing as she chewed, she picked up Loki's plate from in front of him and swapped it with her own. He looked back at her, then to his plate which she began pouring another pool of ketchup on. She could have foreseen his disbelief and poisoned her own plate, already knowing that she would have to trade dishes. Looking at the girl already eating again, he found it hard to believe that she could have plotted so far in advance. She seemed too... innocent.

"Feel better? Now eat, you're going to get sick if you don't," she asked with a surprising amount of concern, continuing with the non-poisoned meal she had made for the both of them. Warily, Loki began to slowly eat. As he imitated what Darcy had done to her scrambled eggs, dipping them in ketchup and eating a bite, he found that Midardian food was primitive... but not too bad. It wasn't long before the two finished their meal in silence, the only sound being forks scraping on the plates. Darcy collected the plates afterward and tossed them into her sink, half-heartedly deciding to take care of them later.

"I have to go help Jane with her research today and I can't really leave you here to destroy my place, so... I guess you're coming with," Darcy explained as she reentered the living room, a bit frightened by the glare she received from the God of Mischief. The last thing he wanted to do was see his hulk of a brother so soon.

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After a certain amount of confusion trying to get out of the apartment, with finding Loki appropriate shoes and making herself a cup of mocha flavored caffeine, they were both finally able to make it out of the door.

Loki immediately felt the sweltering heat of New Mexico as the door swung open, feeling an urge to simply go back inside his hostesses air conditioned condo. Feeling considerably less overheated due to his outfit change, he decided to tough it out once more, not wanting to show any weakness. He followed the brunette to her beat down car, entering through the passenger side and awkwardly sitting in the uncomfortable car seats. He should be teleporting, not taking a tiny, cramped Earth vehicle that he barely fit into. He scowled to himself, already sweating from the heat, as Darcy flipped on the air-conditioner. Darcy assured that everything was fine and the air would cool off in a minute as a blast of steaming hot air shot out of the vehicle.

The drive to Jane and Erik's lab was longer than Loki remembered, but it was also through early morning traffic. While there were so few cars on the road, it still became more difficult to navigate when everyone wanted to go the same direction. Trapped at a stop light behind a dozen more cars, Darcy sat back in her seat and angled one of the two, now cold air conditioning vents facing her to face her guest. She was used to the heat by now, having lived in New Mexico almost all of her life. He angled the vents to cool him off better, taking advantage of all three. Being banished to this accursed town on Midgard had been the most appropriate torture. He could barely stand the heat.

"Has anyone told you that you look dashing in a suit?" Darcy complimented sweetly, trying to start some sort of a conversation with the God of Mischief. Said god simply looked at her as if she was stupid. She had grown used to that look, receiving it almost every day from Jane, Erik, even Thor, sadly enough.

'_Geez Darcy, open mouth, insert foot..._' she thought to herself, sighing as she looked back to the road. Of course no one had told him he looked good in a suit, this was probably his first time being forced into one. It was just a irritating reminder of his curse. She had to think more carefully about what she said, she had no idea what could set off the dark haired man. His brother and family was obviously a huge trigger, but she still had to be careful.

"Of course not. You truly are a foolish mortal," he huffed, looking back out the window to glare at the various shops and houses in the town. He could feel the brunettes disappointment in the air, practically palpable. After a minute of silence, as Darcy finally made it passed the red light and to another, Loki spoke up once more.

"Thank you," he mumbled as if to hide that he was saying it, before returning to looking out of the car window. Darcy just smiled, the grin staying glued on her face even as they arrived at Jane's lab. She was getting to him, she could tell it. Not because of the crazy teasing and the sexual tension that she was sure only she felt, but because he was at least attempting to be nice to her.

When Darcy arrived with Loki, she could tell Jane was livid. The second she laid eyes on the God of Mischief, her eyes narrowed and she glared at Darcy with an intensity the brunette had never seen before. She had refused to look after him because she never wanted to lay eyes on him again, not so he could show up at her work. As the scientist glowered at the pair, Darcy feeling a bit intimidated and Loki trying his best to hold back a laugh, Thor entered the room.

The Thunder God was dressed in a tight white t-shirt, ripped and faded jeans, a pair of brand new of red and white Nike's, and, of course, the pendant. The moment he laid eyes on his brother, he began grinning widely, and briskly walked to see his brother. He plopped a hand down on his brothers shoulder, nearly knocking the darker haired male to the ground with his excess strength. He had to remind himself that his brother was no longer a demigod, and that he needed to be more careful. Pulling back and giving a sheepish grin when Loki glowered at him, he returned to his greeting.

"It's good to see you, brother. I trust Darcy is treating you well," the blonde haired god greeted, keeping his hands at his sides to prevent any more accidents. It was obvious that Loki resented Thor for reminding him of his recent weakness.

"Acceptably," the dark haired man replied shortly, silently furious.

"I must admit, I had difficulty imagining you with Midgardian clothing. I imagined more... green," Thor commented, gesturing to his brothers black and white outfit. Loki knew his brother was right, but refused to acknowledge the fact.

The God of Mischief sighed, giving Thor an irritated look. He had little patience for his brother today, and simply wanted to return to the air conditioned apartment he was forced to reside in. At least it was cold and marginally comfortable.

While Loki and Thor spoke, Darcy went to sit with Jane. The brown eyed woman simply glared at Darcy again, before glancing up at the two gods. Darcy sat silent for a moment, lightly drumming on her knees before trying to break the angry silence.

"So... Doing some science related stuff, I see," she commented lightly, giving Jane a nervous smile when the dirty blonde haired woman looked at her like she had just told her the Earth revolves around the moon. Returning to her work recording her findings earlier that morning, she ignored Darcy.

"Listen, I know what you're thinking, but I can't just check him in at the daycare," the brunette defended, pouting at the astrophysicist typing angrily. The woman stopped abruptly, sighing unhappily as she turned to face her friend.

"You didn't have to say _yes_," she explained, looking at her friend expectantly. Darcy simply sat, unable to speak, startled by Jane's intensity. She shouldn't have been surprised, her new house guest had tried to conquer their planet and had killed over a million people in a matter of hours. After a moment of silence, Darcy replied.

"You know how my childhood was, Jane. You know about the lies and the pain. I see a lot of what happened to me happening to him. The only thing is his dad is giving him another chance..." Darcy sighed sadly, painful memories glazing her eyes. She glanced over at the two gods chiding one another, and caught Loki's eyes briefly glancing over to her before quickly darting back to Thor. She briefly wondered if he was embarrassed to have caught her eye.

"I would have given _anything_ for my parents to have given me... well, any chance at all," the brunette continued, looking back to Jane. The scientist had dropped her disappointed and furious expression in favor of one holding understanding and sympathy. She knew about all the abuse her friend had endured, and she could understand how she could relate to the forgotten child of Odin.

"I... I understand, Darc... I just can't... I worry about you being around him at all. I had thought your sanity and self-preservation would have told you to say no," Jane explained, turning her whole body to face her friend. She placed a delicate hand on Darcy's thigh, rubbing gently as if to soothe herself more than her friend. Darcy placed a hand over hers, giving her friend the most confident smile she could muster.

"When have I ever been sane?" Darcy joked, trying to alleviate the tension that had grown between them. Jane just chuckled humorlessly, dropping her head and staring at the floor as she recalled various psychopathic memories of her closest friend. Even when Loki sent down the Destroyer, she had been right in the mix, trying to protect Jane, and trying to help as many people as possible. She could have died that day, trying to do what she thought was right.

The memory of the Destroyer brought back more bad memories of Loki, and Jane scowled to herself. Her strongest memory was sitting over Thor's body, life slowly slipping away from him after a devastating blow from the metallic automaton. She briefly glared at Loki once more, who she noticed was gazing at Darcy again, before turning to look at the brunette.

"You've never really have been right in the head, huh?" Jane joked sweetly before her face turned serious once more, "I still don't trust him."

"It's been a day, Janey. I know it seems hopeless and stupid, but I think something good can come of this," Darcy explained, patting her friends hand before standing up slowly, "So, what do you have for me to do today, boss?"

Jane smiled, sighing and shaking her head at the obvious change of topic. She sat for a moment, contemplating what could be done, before realizing that all the tasks that had to be done today was work that was too complicated for Political Science Major Darcy.

"Err... We have some more boxes that need to be unpacked, but everything else is Einstein Rosen Bridge and Theoretical Physics related..." she explained, resting the side of her face in her palm.

"Another day of housework and Youtube, huh?" Darcy teased, not complaining. She was curious about wormholes, but not curious enough to even attempt to understand the complicated theorems and formulas the blonde employed in her work.

"Yeah, I guess so... Sorry, Darc," Jane replied with a apologetic shrug before turning back to her work. Darcy gave her friend a gentle pat on the shoulder before turning to check on the two brothers.

Seeing them both sitting together (as far apart as possible) on a sofa next to the entrance to the lab, she decided they would do fine without her constant watch. They looked able to at least stomach each other, so she quickly popped in the earbuds to her iPod and busied herself with unpacking the boxes S.H.I.E.L.D. had so kindly dumped in their little kitchenette. She remembered the day that Agent Coulson and his group of goonies had confiscated all of their work... She also remembered his death on board the Helicarrier.

Frowning at the memory of the now deceased Coulson, she didn't even notice the predatory emerald eyes fixated on her, watching her every move.

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_**A/N**: Savuporo Munakokkeli is a Finnish recipe, and The Republic of Finland is a Nordic country which had vikings in the Middle Ages. So, theoretically, it could be a recipe brought to the vikings by the Asgardians, or the vikings to the Asgardians._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**_ As a special treat for all my loyal readers, I've made sure to write this new chapter immediately. After having made all of you wait so long for the last chapter, this is my apology to everyone._

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"You seem to be quite transfixed on her, brother," Thor observed, having noticed Loki watching Darcy like a hawk. He grinned when the dark haired god glowered at him, but it did not prevent him from scooting over on the couch to sit closer to him. Loki visibly retreated, pressing himself into the corner of the couch. The last thing he wanted to do was be anywhere near his brother, let alone be forced to touch him.

"I do not know what you mean," Loki stated plainly, staring at the ceiling to keep his eyes off of the brunette. He felt the same excitement in his chest whenever he told a lie, but refused to show any tells. Not as if his brother could notice if he did.

"I believe you do, Loki. You may be the God of Lies, but I can tell when my own brother is infatuated," the blonde teased, playfully elbowing the raven haired males arm. The man responded with a displeased grunt, jerking his arm away and glaring at the older god.

"Infatuated? You have gone daft if you believe such a bold statement," the god responded, still catching himself glancing over at Darcy, carefully unpacking various cardboard boxes. Thor noticed, laughing happily.

"Perhaps it is our destiny. I had never considered the notion of being with a Midgardian until the day I met Jane," Thor mused out loud before wrapping his free arm around Loki's shoulders. The dark haired male froze at the touch, trying to contain his murderous rage. Why must Thor continue to tempt his fury?

As Thor got closer, Loki could feel the pull of his magic from Thor's amulet. It was just within his grasp. Perhaps he could rip it from his brothers neck and absorb the power once more. However, the more he thought about that particular plan of action, the more he thought of Thor trying to lift his hammer after being exiled to Midgard. It was useless, for he couldn't break the enchantment Odin had placed on Mjolnir. Surely it was the same for his magic, trapped within that accursed pendant.

"Jane is mine, perhaps Darcy will be your mate. It would be a fitting fate for the two princes of Asgard," the God of Thunder continued, patting his brothers shoulder. Loki responded with a scowl, staring daggers at his blunt brother.

"You are a fool, Thor, to believe such madness. Your love for the human girl is irrational. You are a god, and you will live forever. She is a mortal with maybe a sixty to seventy year life span. She will wither and die, and you will be left with nothing but a bitter memory and a corpse," Loki hissed, trying to hurt the blonde with his sharp words and painful observation. He felt Thor retreat, pulling his arm off of his brothers shoulders.

The dark haired god glanced over at his brother, taking in his pained but thoughtful expression. Thor placed an elbow on his knee, resting his chin on his fist. He seemed perturbed and upset by Loki's observation, as if he had never thought of the consequences of being with a mortal before. He knew he had to be careful because his full strength could crush her in an instant, but he hadn't thought about the short lifespan of Midgardians. After a few moments of deep contemplation, he sat up straight once again.

"It matters not, for now. One day, I will bring Jane home to Asgard, and she will succeed in her trial to obtain Idun's Apples. Then she will become a goddess and we will be wed," Thor declared confidently, giving his brother his characteristic megawatt smile. Loki simply scoffed at him, chuckling darkly as he glanced over at Jane, still quickly typing out various formulas and information on her computer. He returned his gaze to the town outside the ceiling to floor windows, watching as various Midgardians went about their day.

After a few minutes of silence between the two, Thor stood, deciding to help Darcy with the various boxes she was still unpacking. He made it to her just in time to grab hold of a heavy box the brunette had been struggling with, effortlessly placing it on one of the numerous tables in the lab. She smiled and thanked him, not noticing the glare coming from the other side of the room.

"Thanks, big guy. I had no idea we had so much heavy junk... Mind helping a girl out?" Darcy asked nicely, smiling sweetly to the God of Thunder. She could handle it on her own, but it never hurt to have a demigod to carry the heavy stuff. He nodded quickly, hoisting up two more heavy boxes to the table.

"Of course, I will do all in my power to assist you with your junk," he responded proudly, using the same word Darcy had used to describe the objects in the boxes. He had yet to pick up the Earth slang, and hoped he was using the word in the correct way. He had already been corrected by Jane on numerous occasions for using the wrong words in the wrong way.

"I wouldn't call it junk to Jane's face though, she'd get super pissed," Darcy laughed, using a box cutter to cut the tape sealing one of the boxes. She pulled out a rather intricate piece of machinery Jane had built herself out of one of the boxes, taking a moment to study it. The brunette had no idea what it did or what it was for, but she learned the hard way to be careful with even the smallest things when it came to Jane. She set it on the slowly filling shelves behind her, briefly wondering what it did.

"Thank you for your advice, I will keep that in mind. Anything to keep Jane happy," the blonde thanked, wondering the same thing Darcy was: What on Earth did all this machinery do?

Darcy and Thor worked together almost effortlessly as the cardboard boxes slowly began to dwindle and the shelves and empty table slowly filled. It was after a half hour of friendly teasing and laughter that a serious topic came up.

"Thor, I have a question? ...Why is Loki so sensitive to the heat?" Darcy asked seriously after crushing an empty box and throwing it in the trash. She had noticed when she first met Loki that the sweltering heat was getting to him. It was in that moment that she suspected she was safe, if the god she should fear was suffering in the sun.

She looked to the blonde, finding a serious, thoughtful expression on his face. The god gestured for the door, wishing for more privacy before he spoke of his brothers lineage. They both exited, sitting on the steps outside before Thor began.

"There is something you should know about my brother... He is not a true son of Odin. He is the son of Laufey," Thor explained, turning to Darcy, expecting to see her shocked and enraged expression. Seeing that she still stared at him expectantly, he realized she would have no way of knowing who Laufey was, except for an off-handed remark he had made the other day.

"Laufey was the King of the Frost Giants in Jotunheim, and he is Loki's blood father," Thor explained, finally receiving a startled expression from the brunette. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to imagine Loki as a twenty foot tall giant made of ice, but her mind simply wouldn't allow it.

"A... Frost Giant?" Darcy questioned, glancing over to Loki, who still sat on the couch, looking miserably bored, "He's tall, but I wouldn't call him a giant."

"He was too small for his kind so he was abandoned. Laufey wanted nothing to do with such a supposedly weak son, so he left him to die in a temple in Jotunheim. Our father, Odin, found him close to the end of the war and brought him home to be raised as an Asgardian," Thor recollected, having learned Loki's true heritage after speaking with his father following the destruction of the Bifrost.

Darcy felt a pang of empathy in her chest, feeling a great amount of kinship between her and her new guest. She had known that what she was doing was right in her heart, but hearing his story, she could understand why.

"It was when he finally discovered his true heritage after being touched by another frost giant that he went mad, wanting nothing more than to prove he was equal to me... I don't think he understands that he always was..." the God of Thunder continued, slowly getting quieter as he stared at the sandy ground ahead of the stairs they perched on. Darcy frowned, staring into the distance as she finally began to piece Loki's actions together. Even though he had done so much damage, destroyed so much, killed so many... she could understand. It frightened her, but left her with the understanding she sought.

"To answer your earlier question..." Thor replied after a minute of silence, both of them lost in their thoughts, "I would wager that he is more sensitive to the heat now due to his Jotun blood. Without his magic, he is unprotected. His home planet has been a perpetual blizzard for millions of years... Perhaps you should keep an eye on him to make sure he is okay."

"I think I get it," Darcy finally replied, nodded in understanding. No wonder Loki was suffering so much. No being known as a 'Frost Giant' could ever be comfortable in the deserts of New Mexico.

"One more question, then I'll leave you alone," Darcy began, looking back to Thor as if waiting for permission to ask. Thor nodded once, eyes still glued to the horizon.

"You said Laufey _was_ the King of Jotunheim... What happened to him?" the brunette questioned, adding emphasis to the 'was'. Thor pressed his lips into a fine line, as if contemplating whether or not to tell Darcy what had happened.

"Loki killed him when he attempted to murder our father. He had allowed Laufey and a group of Frost Giants entry to Asgard so he could prove to father when he awoke that he was the better son," Thor explained quickly after making sure Loki wasn't paying attention. Darcy's eyebrows knitted together and her mouth fell open into a lopsided 'O'. She had not expected that answer. Maybe that Odin or Thor had killed him, but not Loki, and not the story that came with it. She frowned, turning her gaze back to the horizon Thor was so fixated on.

"Whoa," she replied simply, Thor nodding silently in response.

"Please do not mention Laufey's death to my brother. He will be furious if he finds out I told you," Thor requested, giving Darcy a pleading look before the brunette agreed. After a couple more minutes of silence, a loud grumble erupted from Thor's stomach, signifying that it was time to devour whatever he could get his hands on.

"Looks like it's time for someone to shovel food in his mouth," Darcy chuckled, patting Thor on the shoulder. Thor responded with a hearty laugh, patting his stomach affectionately. It was not his fault that his appetite was not easily quenched.

"Indeed. Let us procure some nourishment!" the God of Thunder declared, standing up swiftly and smoothly and entering the building to speak with Jane. Darcy sat on the porch for a moment longer, staring out at the horizon as she absorbed everything Thor had told her. It wasn't until Jane emerged from the doorway, tapping Darcy to signify that it was time to go to the little cafe down the block, that Darcy finally snapped out of her daze.

"Come on, Darc, lets go get lunch," Jane suggested, offering a hand to her friend to help her stand up. Darcy took the offered hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Jane quickly spun around, reentering the lab as Darcy trailed behind.

"Hey, Jane?" Darcy began, waiting to continue before Jane turned to face her, "Can we take Loki? He hasn't eaten since this morning."

Jane scowled unhappily in response before caving in to Darcy, mumbling "I'm not paying for his shit."

Darcy smiled, heading over to collect a miserably bored and uncomfortable God of Mischief before the group headed over to a small but quaint cafe a couple blocks down the street.

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Loki could barely concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other as the group decided that walking there would be easiest. His heartbeat pounded in his muffled ears, and he could barely even hear what the group was saying. He glanced up at the dreaded sun, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead before it fell. He would remain strong, and as long as no one tried to speak with him, he would hopefully appear unphased.

When the group finally arrived at the cafe, Loki unhappily discovered that they did not have their air conditioner on. Darcy complained about it loudly to one of the employees, and was told it was because of the faulty repairs to the building after the attack from the Destroyer. Apparently trying to rebuild an air conditioner crushed underneath a Ford Focus was a bad idea.

After barely registering a pat on the arm from Darcy, he gave her a slow nod three seconds too late for a normal person. He gulped dryly, feeling a scratchiness in his throat and a desperate need for water. He let Darcy order him a glass of iced water, but refused any other kind of food. He barely even noticed Darcy's concerned expression, but was grateful when she didn't push the topic. Weakly following the group outside after they had made their orders, he sat at a table in the shade. They all hoped that the wind would be enough to cool down the group in the unrelenting heat, unable to sit inside the humid cafe.

The whole meal was a blur to Loki, him absentmindedly staring at his glass for five minutes before taking a small sip. He felt a heave from his stomach, but did his best to contain it, trying once more to drink the iced water. Another dry heave shot up his chest, but it went unnoticed by the group. He left the glass alone for the rest of the meal, giving short, curt answers to whatever questions he noticed were thrown his way. Watching the ice melt as the others in his group spoke, he was unaware of Darcy's concerned expression.

"Hey, Jane, Thor helped me unpack the rest of those boxes, so there really isn't much left for me to do today... Do you mind if I go home early?" Darcy asked Jane, having noticed that Loki was becoming increasingly more unaware and obviously over heated. He had missed over three questions directed to him, and she knew that Thor could sense his brothers discomfort as well.

"Of course!" Jane responded with a bit more enthusiasm than usual, trying to hide her smile. The faster Loki was away from her, the sooner she could focus on the work she had been trying to complete. When she sat in the lab with only the God of Mischief for company, she had made numerous mistakes in her equations. She couldn't focus when she feared for her life.

"Cool, thanks Jane! Oh, and here's ten bucks for my sandwich and part of the tip. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Darcy replied sweetly before trying her best to subtly gain Loki's attention. She stood up and placed a delicate hand on Loki's shoulder, beginning to walk as Loki slowly rose to his feet. He mumbled some sort of a farewell before almost stumbling after Darcy, feeling an intense pain in his head. Why was it becoming so hard to focus?

"I know you're not okay right now, Loki, but I'm gunna try to get you home as quick as I can," Darcy explained, offering a supporting arm for her new companion. After a moment of staring at the offered arm, the dark haired male scoffed at her, wiping his brow once more instead. He would not stoop as low as to accept help from this measly mortal. He mumbled something incoherent, and Darcy just gave him another worried look, deciding that sooner would be better.

The walk back to Darcy's beat up Volvo was excruciating. He felt as if every step was getting heavier and slower, feeling the vibration from his feet on the concrete reverberating all the way to his mind. He panted heavily through his nose, still trying to maintain an unphased expression even though his cheeks and forehead were starting to turn red.

When they finally got to the car, Loki eagerly entered the passenger seat, waiting expectantly for the glorious air conditioner. When Darcy started the aging vehicle, he hissed at the steamy blast of heat that hit him. Darcy urged him once more that it would be fine in a few moments, but it wasn't until the end of the drive that it finally began to cool down. Once it was at an acceptable temperature, Loki was shocked when the car stopped, and found that they had arrived at her complex.

As Darcy lead the overheated Loki to her condo once more, she became nervous when they reached the stairs. The green eyed male had to grip the railing of the stairs with all his strength as his climbed, trying to pull his own stubborn weight up the concrete staircase. When he finally stumbled to the top of the stairs and thought he could finally make it, an overwhelming darkness enveloped his eyes and he had no choice but to fall to the floor. All he heard before falling into darkness and silence was Darcy screaming out, "LOKI!"

Darcy had thought everything was okay, that they had both finally made it to her air conditioned apartment and that Loki could lie down and bask in the cool blast of air again. But when he collapsed at the top of the staircase, she panicked.

"Loki! Loki!" she called, crouching beside him and shaking him lightly. It took a moment for her to realize that he was suffering from heat stroke, and for her survival skills to kick in. She didn't have any saline for an IV, but she could still help.

She grasped at the shoulders of his long sleeve shirt, ripping the fabric as she slowly but surely dragged the unconscious god into her apartment. She began breathing heavily out of her mouth, continuing to drag the overheated male into her small bathroom. She carefully set him down on the cold tile floor, his head falling to the side limply as she turned the cold water on full blast.

'He's a frost giant, he needs more than just cold water. Fucking blizzards, Darcy! Blizzards!' the brunette thought quickly, thoughts racing through her mind. She leaped over Loki's sprawled out form on her bathroom floor, bounding into her kitchen. She threw open the freezer door, ripping the ice cube maker out of her fridge with strength she didn't know she possessed. When she returned, she slammed the plastic ice maker into the tile wall, knocking loose a waterfall of ice cubes into the bath tub. She dropped the ice maker on the bathroom counter, not having the time to put it back in the freezer.

Remembering her first aid training, she recalled that when a person suffers from heat stroke, it's wise to remove their clothing. She blushed at the thought before looking towards Loki, sprawled out on the tile. She dropped to her knees next to him, nervously contemplating the thought and quickly deciding that it was for his own health. Not like she hadn't seen him half naked before...

"While this is purely for medical purposes, I'm going to enjoy this a lot," the brunette declared as she began to undo the buttons on his shirt. She felt her cheeks heat up more and more, as she carefully lifted him up and pulled off the long sleeve white dress shirt. She took a second too long to admire his emaciated but built chest, mouth slightly ajar in awe. He was too gorgeous for his own good.

Snapping back into reality, and struggling for a moment when she realized which article of clothing was left, she began to unbutton the dress pants the dark haired male had worn. She breathed in heavily and pulled his pants off of his limp legs, making sure that his underwear remained safety on his hips.

When she looked over and saw the water level was high enough for Loki, she stepped into the freezing water and pulled Loki in behind her. The water level rose and cascaded down the sides of the tub when Loki was dropped in, drenching the floor and the gods discarded clothes with icy water. Darcy quickly stepped out of the icy pool of water, turning off the flow of cold water before adjusting the god to make sure he didn't drown in his unconscious state.

Darcy finally slowed down now that Loki was safely in the frosty water. She watched the redness slowly disappear from Loki's face and his labored breathing finally evened out, sighing in relief. She sat on the floor next to the tub for quite a while, waiting and hoping, as she watching Loki breath in and out. He was okay, he had to be.

Feeling a moment of boldness, and knowing that she had no thermometer in her house, she leaned forward over the god. The icy water soaked into her shirt, making her shiver before she pressed her cheek against the God of Mischiefs forehead. He was still warm, but not as hot as he had felt when she had dragged his limp body into her apartment not ten minutes ago. It was an old-fashioned trick her foster mom had taught her in her youth to tell if someone had a temperature. It wasn't completely accurate, of course, but it was all a poor little family could afford.

She felt an icy breath on her neck and shivered involuntarily, pulling back quickly. She still blushed, gazing at the unconscious god floating in a frosty pool of iced water. Even in such a fragile state, he was handsome.

She quickly pulled a washcloth from the metal shelving above her toilet, drenching it in the icy water before gently ringing it out and using it to wipe the sweat from the dark haired gods face. She dipped it once again, this time folding it once and placing it across her guests forehead. She heard an unconscious sigh of comfort from the God of Mischief, and smiled.

Sitting on her drenched bathroom floor, leaning against the bathtub, she briefly contemplated calling Thor or Jane. However, she knew that when Loki finally awoke, he would be furious. She could understand that he didn't want to seem weak to his brother, so she took a chance and did what she thought would make Loki the most comfortable.

Resting her cheek on the edge of the tub, she closed her eyes, giving herself a mental pat on the back for a good job. It was only a few minutes after her head hit the acrylic that she drifted off into unconsciousness, feeling comfortable in the now luke warm water soaking her floor.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to thakidisbac. Thanks for being a fantastic reader. :)_

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When the dark haired god finally awoke, the ice cubes in the bath had melted into thin shards of ice. The chill of the water seeped into his bones, and he was more comfortable than he had ever been on Earth. The frost was soothing, but the splitting pain in his head made it more difficult to enjoy the ice bath. What made it even harder to enjoy was that he had no recollection of how he had gotten into this pool.

Loki opened his eyes in an attempt to figure out where he was, but was only greeted by piercing light. He hissed lightly and shut his eyes once more, waiting until the light behind his eyelids was dim before attempting again. This time he was greeted by Darcy's hazy bathroom, his vision blurred as he gazed up at the off white tile lined up to the ceiling. The pale skinned man blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision, as he slowly sat up in the bathtub. What could have happened to have left him in such a drained and painful state?

Loki clamped his eyes shut once more as a sharp pain shot through his head, arcing from his neck to his eyes. The pale skinned male groaned lightly, pinching his brow in an attempt to combat the pain. When the pain receded back into a dull throb pulsating through his mind, he looked down at his own body in the water. He felt a surge of confusion as strong as the pain rush through him as he realized he was clad in nothing but his undershorts.

Sitting in his confusion and silently relishing the frosty water, he quickly tried to determine how he had gotten there. He could easily recall speaking with Thor, he could recall Darcy inviting him to go to procure food with them all, he could remember struggling as he walked to the cafe, but then it became hazy. He could remember that the accursed restaurant lacked an air conditioner, he could remember almost vomiting in his glass of ice water, the dreaded walk to Darcy's vehicle, then... nothing.

He looked to his side, trying to find some evidence of how he got into this bathtub, and found a large piece of plastic and metal sitting on the bathroom counter, dripping water in a light stream. It formed a large pool on the floor, soaking into the bathroom rug. He recognized that this was Darcy's bathroom, but he simply couldn't remember how he arrived there.

As he looked around the room, noting his Midgardian clothes ripped and strewn about on the floor, he heard a soft voice from right next to him. Loki's eyes quickly shot to Darcy, who had been curled up in a ball on the floor next to the tub, as she slowly sat up. He had to resist his urge to reach out and strike her in his surprise, still in his weak and blurry eyed state.

"Loki...?" she started, adjusting her glasses and blinking slowly to clear her eyes. The moment she made eye contact with Loki and realized that he was conscious, her face brightened in a way that surprised the dark haired male. Why would she ever be ecstatic to see him?

"Loki! You're okay!" she quietly cheered, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around the God of Mischief. Said god quickly went completely still, his breath stopping in his throat. His arms stayed planted at his sides, refusing to move. He looked at her with a bewildered and confused expression, eyebrows furrowed deeply.

After realizing her mistake, Darcy let in a startled intake of air and quickly pulled away, partially in embarrassment, and partially in fear. She gave him an nervous but apologetic smile and sat back down on the damp tile flooring.

"Sorry about that... I just got a little caught up in the moment," the brunette apologized quickly, holding up her hands in surrender. Ignoring her previous invasion of his personal space, he began asking questions.

"Why am I in your bathroom?" Loki demanded immediately, confusion in the front of his mind, as he quickly emerged from the bathtub. He felt another pain shoot through his head as he stood, but didn't let it show. There was no way he could seem weak to her, even though he had a feeling that she already had. He glared at her as if she had been the one to injure him, and she scooted a couple feet away in response. He could be terrifying when he was mad.

"You had a heat stroke," she replied simply, shivering lightly as she sat on the soaking wet throw rug. She felt a little offended at the glare, as if she hadn't just saved his life and not told Thor about it. She slowly stood from her place on the floor, feeling sore from the awkward position she had been sleeping in for the few short hours Loki had been unconscious.

"Tell me what heat stroke is," the dark haired prince demanded once more, torrents of icy water pouring down his lithe form. The water drenched his undershorts, clinging to his skin and his length as he stood. Darcy caught herself glancing downwards, and quickly looked back to his face, hoping that the blush she felt coming didn't show on her cheeks.

"It happens when you stay in the sun too long and don't drink enough water. You get loopy and pass out. I dragged your ass in from my front door and basically saved your life, so, you know, a 'thank you' would be nice," Darcy explained as she roughly pulled a towel from the shelves above the toilet. She handed it to him, which he begrudgingly accepted. Any other day, Loki would have struck down this lowly human for her insolence, but today, he simply walked passed her, lightly pushing her out of the way with his shoulder as he strode by. He quickly rubbed his hair dry and wild with the towel, wrapping it around his thin waist afterward.

Darcy huffed loudly as the dark haired man pushed passed her, not even breathing a word of thanks. She put her fists on her hips, glaring at his form as he entered the guest bedroom and shut the door behind him.

"Has anyone told you what a prick you are?" the brunette yelled from the bathroom, fuming. She stood still for a moment more, waiting for some sort of a response, but heard nothing. Angrily picking up the dripping ice maker from the bathroom counter, she headed for her refrigerator.

Darcy sighed loudly and irritably as she strode down the hallway towards the kitchen, ice maker dripping a freezing stream of water down her hip. As she entered the little kitchenette, she unhappily discovered that she hadn't closed her freezer when she ripped out the ice maker. Shoving the ice maker back into the freezer was far more difficult than ripping it out, so Darcy was livid by the time she finally maneuvered the blasted little box onto its metal track.

"Asshole..." she muttered under her breath as she slammed the freezer door shut, tossing one of her kitchen towels onto the watery floor where the freezer had began dripping. She continued to grumble obscenities as she sat at her kitchen table, leaning back into the wooden chair until it stood on its back legs. As she balanced, she began to think.

Maybe she had been too hopeful to expect a thank you, especially from someone so prideful. He had been a God before his sentence. Her having to cool him off with an ice bath was most likely the first time he had ever needed help from a mortal. He was probably humiliated.

Darcy sat in her thoughts for a few minutes before realizing that Loki hadn't even drank anything since his awakening. He was probably parched after falling unconscious from heat stroke. Besides, she couldn't have him passing out on her again, at least not without giving her ice maker time to replenish itself.

Sighing heavily, the brunette pulled a tall glass out of her cabinet and filled it with water from the water dispenser in the refrigerator. Once the glass was filled with icy water, she slowly trudged back to his room, knocking on the door. When she heard a frustrated growl from the other side of the door, she entered.

The dark haired god was laying down on the queen sized bed, towel underneath him to prevent the bed from getting wet. He sat on the same side the air conditioner blew on, trying to stay as cool as possible. He was still inexplicably uncomfortable and dizzy, the pounding in his head not ceasing even when he had laid back on his bed.

Darcy noted rather quickly that he was still in just his undershorts, the pale expanse of his skin warm in the amber sunlight coming in from his window. She resisted the urge to blush, thoughtfully considering bringing her camera phone into his room and sneaking a snapshot one night as she walked to his side. As she approached him, he pushed himself into a sitting position to speak with her at eye level.

"I brought you some water," Darcy explained, holding the tall glass out to Loki. He studied her for a moment, as if trying to decipher why she continued to be kind to him. Darcy just sighed quietly, already used to his usual doubt, shifting her weight from one foot to another as she stood in place.

"Dude, seriously, just drink it. You're dehydrated, that's probably why you passed out. C'mon, I don't want you getting sick again, heat stroke really sucks, and you're a lot denser than you look," she insisted, surprising Loki with her concern. He then gave her an exasperated expression at her comment about his weight, just shaking his head. She swirled the liquid in the tall glass cup to bring attention back to the water. This time Loki accepted the glass, taking a slow drink which quickly progressed into finishing the whole cup.

The God of Mischief paused for a moment as he stared into the empty glass, deep in his own thoughts. He handed the cup back to Darcy and as he leaned back into the pillows of his bed, a small word of thanks slipped out of his lips, the volume low enough to barely be heard.

"...thank you..." he whispered, almost hoping that the Midgardian woman before him wouldn't hear his quiet word of thanks. He hadn't been expecting the bright smile to spread across Darcy's cheeks and for her stormy blue eyes to meet his in her own silent 'thank you'.

"No problem, Loki," Darcy replied, her voice as soft and gentle as silk, his own name sliding off of her tongue like a spell. He found that his own voice became trapped in his throat, distracted by the brunettes full lips puckering as she formed his name. She maintained eye contact for a moment longer than normal with the prince before turning on her heels.

"I'm going to pour you another glass, you still look parched," she threw over her shoulder as Loki watched her exit. She swung her hips unintentionally as she walked, drawing the attention of the raven haired male. As soon as she left the threshold of his door, he laid back on the downy pillows, frantically pushing thoughts of the brunette out of his mind.

'_I am simply keeping my hostess placated for my own physical comfort,_' he concluded within, struggling with his decision to thank her. He struggled even more with vehemently shooting down any consideration for the humans thoughts or feelings. She was nothing but a tool to reach his own ends, to recover his strength and magic.

When Darcy entered his room once more, Loki was curious as to why she was carrying not only a glass of water, but what appeared to be a plastic pouch filled with deep blue slush.

"What is that object?" Loki asked as the mousy woman handed the god the glass of water. As she responded, he quickly drained half of the glass, placing it on the wooden night stand to his side when he was finished. He laid back against the pillows once more, finding it surprisingly taxing to keep himself upright in his exhausted state.

"It's an ice pack. I figured you might have a major headache after passing out. I usually use it when I have a hang over, but... you know, same concept," Darcy explained, squishing the chilled blue slush absentmindedly before leaning over and pressing the ice pack to the hesitant and defensive mans forehead. As soon as the ice pack touched the frost giants skin, she felt a chilled breath of relief against her warm skin. She shivered involuntarily once more, his cool breath always catching her off guard and stoking a heat in her belly.

She pulled back, trying not to be too sudden so she didn't give away any tells for her attraction. He was the most handsome man she had even come into contact with (Thor was handsome in his own right, but he was too muscular, too exceedingly large for her tastes), and he now lived with her in her quaint apartment.

"I'll let you get some more z's," the brunette suggested, reaching to the shutters on the blinds and dimming them entirely. The room darkened, but still kept a light glow from the evening sunlight outside, shining through the flimsy plastic blinds. As Darcy slowly exited the room, turning off the light behind her and closing the door, she cooed a quiet 'goodnight' into her guests new room.

She now stood in front of the closed door, mind full of mixed feelings and a mess to clean up.

She entered her bathroom to drain the bathtub and clean up the clothes and water, trapped in a contemplative trance. Was it wrong to care about someone she was helping? Does he want to change? Will he ever change? Part of her mind was worried she had gotten in over her head, while the other was thankful she had simply volunteered. If she hadn't, it wouldn't be nearly as exciting.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:** __My goodness, 147 followers? I'm so very flattered, everyone. _I apologize for not updating sooner, life has been rather hectic lately. However, this story has still been on my mind practically 24/7. I haven't given up on it, I can promise everyone that. Enjoy._  
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Loki laid in his bed, watching the ceiling fan as the amber sunlight slowly drained from the room until all was dark. He was quickly recovering from his heat stroke earlier that day, his skin now its natural shade of white porcelain, his eyes clear and focused. His headache was slowly fading as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the pain receding until it was just a dull throb in his forehead. He still laid in bed, completely awake, deep in his own thoughts.

Darcy had been nothing but kind to him since his arrival on Midgard, and he was confounded by it. Surely she must expect something, she must have some hidden agenda to fulfill by accepting to be his hostess. That was how it was on Asgard, and that is how he expected it to be here on Midgard. If anyone took on a burden such as this, they would expect some sort of compensation for their services. However, as far as he had seen, Darcy expected nothing from him. She had even saved his life.

Loki felt shame swell in him at the thought of having to be helped by a mortal. He had been in his most fragile state, overheated and unconscious. She could have killed him, let him die in the unrelenting heat of the New Mexico desert, but instead, she had dragged him into her apartment and prepared him an ice bath. She had fallen asleep at his side, and had even embraced him upon his awakening.

Why had she embraced him when he had awoken? Surely there was no way she could have actually been concerned about him, about the evil god who had so recently tried to conquer her planet... But the look in her sleepy blue eyes when she had seen he was conscious had been unmistakable. She had been relieved to see him awake instead of fearful, even as she woke from her slumber on the bathroom floor.

Now fully awake, Loki sat up, removing the ice pack from his forehead that had long since become warm. The violent pain that usually accompanied any position shift had now faded, replaced by only a slight dizziness. He dropped his legs off the side of the bed, planting them firmly on the soft carpet as he prepared to stand. His eyes dropped to his clothing, noting that he still only wore his undershorts and deciding that he was to find a suitable pair of pants. While he took great pleasure in taunting his poor human hostess, he felt a need to at least wear some sort of garment.

He rose to his feet and took three long strides to the crowded closet, opening the sliding doors with just a nudge. He stared into the various clothes, suspended by hangers, before pulling a pair of what had looked like simple black pants. As they unfolded in his grip, he realized that they were actually a pair of black track pants with green and white stripes on the sides. He pulled off his still damp undershorts, tossing them into an empty wicker basket on the floor of the closet, fighting an avalanche of shoes for space. The pants were much to large for his lithe body, but he slipped them on anyways, tying the strings into a simple knot to keep them on his thin hips. As soon as he was decent he silently exited his room, entering the living room of Darcy's little apartment.

The brunette was lazily sprawled out on her couch with a large bowl of popcorn balanced on her legs, watching what appeared to be a television show about a Midgardian doctor named House. She had yet to notice his presence, too enthralled with her show to register Loki's near silent footsteps behind her. It was only when he sat down on the opposite side of the couch did she acknowledge him.

"Good morning, Sunshine. How's your head feeling?" she greeted, shooting him a smile and turning to face him. Loki said nothing, however, instead leaning back against the couch, stretching his long arms across the back of the sofa as his legs splayed out. His arms were long enough to almost brush against Darcy shoulder from his position on the opposite end of the couch. Even in just a pair of track pants, his presence was regal and princely, his long body taking up a large portion of the couch. Loki simply grimaced at the question, still humiliated for having to receive help from the mousy brunette.

After a moment of watching the show in silence, Darcy turned to face her guest once more, staring at him blatantly and unashamed. She had never expected someone so gorgeous and handsome to ever step foot in her home and she was still silently stunned that this evil God was such a good looking man. Said god could feel her stormy blue eyes on him, but chose to ignore them, his scowl slowly deepening more and more.

"If you keep making that face, it'll stick like that," Darcy joked, grinning at the sound of her own mothers voice in her head. The raven haired male simply looked back at her, an expression of irritation still on his face, as she ate another handful of buttered popcorn. He turned away, looking to the television once more before speaking.

"Why did you help me?" he asked blatantly, turning back to examine her with striking emerald eyes. Darcy stopped chewing for a moment, in thought, before swallowing her mouthful. She stared off into the distance, trying to conjure up a reason herself.

"Is it power you desire? That you will be given a pick of my spells for your use? That I will steal the Apples of Idun for your own immortality? Or maybe it's wealth you desire..." he demanded once more, eyes narrowing as accusations poured out of his mouth, desperate to discern a reason for her assistance. Darcy sat quietly, pensive and contemplative, before responding.

"Listen, all that stuff would be super cool. The magic is rad as hell, but I'm not doing this because I want you to give me stuff... I mean, I do think your powers were way cooler than Thor's though. I mean, he has a hammer, that's pretty neat, but you have _mind bullets_. Jack Black would be so jealous," Darcy explained poorly, going off on her own little tangent in her nervousness.

When she finally turned to face the God, she was met by an expression caught between absolute and utter confusion and what appeared to be pride. No one had ever truly complimented his abilities unless they wanted him to play a part in some hair brained scheme, as his brother had often done. Having someone compliment him just because was an occurrence he was not accustomed to.

"Well... I suppose I'd say it's because it feels like the right thing to do," Darcy finally answered, nodding once as she decided it was the best answer, as she set the half eaten bowl of popcorn to the side.

"You chose to house a mass murderer and a god simply because it 'felt like the right thing to do'?" Loki mocked, disbelief painted on his face. There was no possible way that was the answer. That was too innocent, too simple, too... good.

"To be completely honest, it's because I see a lot of myself in you..." the brunette continued, pulling her knees in her chest as she got a bit defensive. She didn't know how he would react to this, and she hoped that he didn't feel like he was being talked down to. The raven haired male raised his eyebrows at her, curiosity in his eyes but rage slowly building behind his well maintained expression.

"Let me explain... When I was eighteen and still going to high school, I had gone to class and began to learn about hereditary traits. He said that the chances of two brown eyed parents having a blue eyed child were next to nothing. Every member of my family had brown or hazel eyes. No one had _ever_ had blue..." the stormy blue eyed woman began to explain, reliving the memory of confronting her foster parents. Her eyes lost its usual playful and innocent gleam, instead fogging with the painful memory.

As she spoke, Loki's own thoughts began to drift to his adopted parents. Some part of him had always known. His family and almost the entirety of Asgard was blonde haired and blue eyed. He was quite possibly the only one in the kingdom with his unique emerald green hued irises and inky black hair. The only reason Sif had such dark hair was because he had replaced it with a Dwarf's hair... Somewhere in Nidavellir lived a special Dwarf with lush blonde locks, the envy of her entire village.

"I went home that night and confronted my parents, I _demanded_ to know why I was different from everyone else. And they told me... My real mother was a drug addict and abandoned me at an orphanage in Tucson. My parents adopted me a month later, and, well, they raised me as their real daughter and never brought it up," Darcy continued, wondering what life would have been like if her mother had kept her. As a young girl she had sometimes childishly wished that she had another family when she was punished. Little did she know for so many years.

"I don't think they were ever going to tell me... But, that night, I... I packed a suitcase full of clothes and an envelope of the money I'd been saving and got a one-way ticket to Santa Fe. I rented a shitty, cheap little apartment in the bad side of town, somehow found a job, finished high school, got a scholarship, and then I got an internship with Jane. I just left everything behind, didn't even think twice. Then, ironically, when you tried to take over Earth and everyone was scared for their lives, I took a chance and went back. When I showed up on their doorstep, it was like nothing happened, like I didn't leave them with no word for so long. Nothing had changed, they still loved me, and I was still their daughter... We cried on that doorstep for what felt like hours," she finished, a smile punctuating the end of their story. She hugged her legs tightly, looking off into the distance, grinning happily at the memory of sitting on that porch, wrapped up in her parents arms, sobbing like they were never going to see each other again.

The dark haired prince sat in silence, absorbing his hostesses story. Some weak part of him wanted to reach over and place an arm around the woman's shoulders, to pull her into an embrace. To maybe feel what she had felt, reuniting with her parents after so long. To feel accepted and to be understood. He quickly shot down the idea, his mind screaming at him that he was getting weak, like his pathetic brother, that he was a monster and monsters never get the happy ending.

"I suppose I owe you a thanks for trying to take over the world, as weird as that sounds. If you hadn't, I don't think I would have gone back to see my family. I guess some part of me hopes that you'll get that same feeling one day, knowing that all your mistakes are forgiven and that you're loved..." she cooed softly, eyes meeting Loki's for a moment. The dark haired prince looked away almost immediately, feeling as if he had been burned. No wonder this woman had taken him in, no wonder why she was so kind to him constantly. He felt a twinge of what could have been regret, but pushed it into the farthest reaches of him mind, never to be seen or thought of again.

"No need. I'm certain you would have reunited with your family soon enough, even without my failed attempt at the take over of your insignificant planet," he replied cooly, not portraying any emotions one way or another. He stared into the TV, rapidly reading the names in the credits to take his mind off of the girl across the couch from him.

"You really do know how to tug at those heart strings, huh?" Darcy joked, laughing to herself, knowing that he would never betray his emotions to her. But she had recognized that look in his eyes, the way he had looked so pained and desperate in just a moment. She knew that same feeling, standing on the doorstep of her parents house. The agony of not knowing but just wanting.

At this, the inky haired god cracked a smile, letting out a low laugh of his own. He glanced back at her, taking in the sight of her curled in on herself, arms loosely wrapped around her legs, breasts sitting on top of her knees, hair cascading down her shoulders, and glasses low enough to see her eyes, gazing right back at him.

"So... You hungry? And if you ask me if it's poisoned again I swear to whatever deity is listening that I will _cut_ you," she fake threatened, pointing an accusing finger at her guest. Loki simply chuckled, finding it amusing that this tiny mortal female was threatening him. He shrugged, throwing his arms over the back of the couch once more, finding himself a comfortable position on the tiny couch again.

Taking that as a yes, Darcy entered the kitchen and soon returned with a plate of tater tots and chicken fingers, pools of barbeque sauce and ketchup poured on the extra large plate they shared. For the rest of the night, they watched the movie Dawn of the Dead, Darcy squealing at the scary parts and Loki quietly laughing at his hostesses animated reactions.

* * *

When they finally separated, Darcy went into the bathroom to take a long, hot shower before going to bed as Loki went right into his room. As the prince laid in his bed, removing the damp towel and tossing it into the same wicker basket, he felt his mind being drawn back to his hostesses story. He felt a miniscule amount of kinship with her, actually surprised by her tale. She had been abandoned, then taken in by another family who lied to her about her heritage. Then when she found out, she had left and intended to never come back. But because of him, she had gone back and been reunited with parents who loved her, no matter whose blood she had coursing through her veins. It was his luck that she was there the day Thor had taken him to Jane's home. If she hadn't been, he would most likely be back in that cell on the helicarrier, but this time with no hope of ever escaping.

All of these thoughts swirled through his mind as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness, still basking in the blast of cool air from the air conditioner. As he slept, his dreams overtook his mind, playing a scene that both confused and excited him.

_Loki recognized where he was, what was happening. It was after the battle in New York City, after the portal had closed and the warship was destroyed. It was after he had shared a glass of bourbon with Tony Stark and after he had been chained and lead to the a cell where he would remain until this faithful day. _

_His hands were bound by chains hanging low in front of him, swaying as he walked. He could feel the muzzle wrapped firmly around his mouth, but it didn't dig into his skin as unrelentingly as before. He could feel his strength, the energy that once vibrated through his entire being. He could feel spells at his fingertips, a single word or a motion away. The sun beat down on him, his leather and plate armor hot to the touch, but he felt no strain. He was as he once was, and even as he walked in chains, he missed it._

_Thor was leading him towards a group comprised of the other Avengers. They were all gathered in a circle, donned in their normal Midgardian clothes, but still ready at any moment to strike. In his hazy dream, their faces were nothing but blurs, smears left by fingertips dragged through a fresh line of paint. However, in this dream, Banner towered over the group in his Hulk form with an enraged expression and dead eyes fixated upon him. He could make out every detail of the dull creature's face, every sickening bulge of muscle, and every pulsating vein. The hideous green monster made Loki sick._

_He was lead to the center of the group where Thor would soon hand him the other end of the container holding the Tesseract and they would be transported back to Asgard for his sentence. However, as he scanned the crowd gathered around him, an unfamiliar face joined its ranks. Her face was as clear as daylight, her stormy blue eyes gentle and not hidden behind her glasses. Her lush pink lips were spread into a slight smile, her chocolate brown hair spilling around her like a halo... She was donned in a wispy black dress, as dark and devoid of color as the void itself. It hung from her shoulders and spilled to the floor like ink then reached up from the ground and grasped at the air with ghostly hands. The sleeves reached all the way to her fingertips, hiding her hands as she approached him, a regal air surrounding her._

_Darcy._

_The god watched on in shock and awe as the faceless Avengers stepped aside, making room for Darcy to slowly approach him. She walked in what seemed like slow motion, his mind playing back every detail of her face, her voluptuous lips, the arch of her nose, her large bedroom eyes..._

_Slowly, the group surrounding them began disappearing, smearing away in her presence. They began to blur together, fading away until it was just Darcy, now standing in front of him, gazing into his eyes with a look that conveyed mercy and bliss. He kept his hands planted at his sides, too stunned to reach or run. He simply gazed back, transfixed, as she slowly raised her hands and the incorporeal cloth pulled back, revealing flawless porcelain skin. She reached towards him, gently cupping his face in her hands, even behind his metal mask. Even as she grasped him, he remained lost in the foggy ocean of her eyes, unable to look away from her._

_She stood on her toes, leaning up towards him, and her eyes slowly began to close. Once her eyes were closed and he was finally free of their hypnotic spell, she pressed her lips to his mask. Even through the metal, he could feel her lips against his as if it was through just a thin sheet of cloth._

_He stood in awe, mesmerized by the incorporeal woman appearing in his dreams, unable to react. She was like a goddess, wispy and magical, energy much like his own wrapping him in its embrace._

_His eyes finally began to drift close, but as he finally reached out for her, he was met with nothing but air. Suddenly, her soft, sweet voice echoed in his mind, three simple words quiet but close, as if whispered in his ear..._

"_Come to me..."_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:** I apologize for the inconsistent updates. I just recently got a new job, and it's very taxing and time consuming. However, I will still try to bring you updates as quickly as I can. I decided to do a bit of a fast forward in this chapter simply because Loki and Darcy aren't going to fall in love in two days (we aren't talking about Thor and Jane here). I had a few ideas for events throughout the time skip, so I'll try to include them in a brief overview. I watched the movie for the third or fourth time earlier, so I have a really detailed picture painted. Also, as a heads up, this chapter is going to be where the fluff starts._

_Thanks to a kind reviewer, I realized that I had failed to mention the three words were changed to "Come to me" in the last chapter. Sorry for any confusion._

_Enjoy, everyone. Stay cool and drink water, it's hot as hell._

* * *

The next few months had gone by with little incident, Darcy and the God of Mischief living together semi-peacefully. Loki had entered Darcy's life so seamlessly that Darcy felt as if he had always been there. While he remained furious every day, he soon found a reluctant but comfortable place in her life, actually finding himself to be somewhat partial to the girl. She always spoke to him respectfully, as if he hadn't tried to destroy her world, and never mentioned Thor in his presence. She could feel the amount of disgust that rolled off of him whenever his brother was mentioned, so she simply avoided to topic for his comfort. He would come around eventually.

Throughout the first couple weeks, Darcy had done a lot to try to make her guest comfortable. She packed up the old clothes that crowded Loki's closet and replaced them with clothes her and Thor had bought for Loki together. Not so coincidentally, all the clothes they had picked were either black, white, grey, or green. Loki seemed pleased enough to have decent clothes, but seemed especially pleased when he noticed that Darcy had gone out of her way to clean, polish, and hang the dark haired gods leather and plate armor. He was even happy to discover that the brunette had gotten him a new black and green comforter set and cleaned out the room for him.

She often went out of her way to do small things for the God of Mischief, surprising Loki each time with her acts of kindness.

* * *

_Loki glared at the clouds as Thor took to the sky once more, having haphazardly dumped him of Darcy's doorstep after a mandatory day of 'brotherly bonding'. He despised having to spend any sort of time with his oaf of a brother, especially when he was carted around by the immortal god like a rag doll as he flew to each destination. After seeing the blonde disappear from view, he dusted himself off, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. At least he was back._

_However, on these days, he couldn't help but get at least a little excited when he arrived back at home. Gently opening the door with the key to the front door Darcy had entrusted him with, he immediately made his way to his room. Darcy wouldn't be home for another hour, and he still couldn't believe she trusted him alone in her home. He found no reason to damage her belongings, although he often set a few harmless traps around the house scare her and get a laugh. She was always a good sport when it came to his jokes, even when she had come home to a bathtub filled with a dozen harmless garden snakes._

_Opening his bedroom door, he found his prize immediately: a small present, wrapped in green wrapping paper with a large golden bow plastered right on top, sitting on his bed._

_Every week on the miserable days he was forced to spend time with his brother, he would always come home to a small stack of books on his bed. He found that it was a welcome and strategic distraction, taking his mind off of his horrid day to the gifts his hostess would bring him. It helped him maintain his sanity and would give him something to pass the time in his exile._

_He picked it up, sitting on his bed, and tore the paper away. This week, she had brought him Antigone, Macbeth, and another old, worn tome printed in Latin. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips as he thought of the mousy woman picking these books out especially for him._

* * *

The God felt himself slowly becoming more and more fond of the girl. It seemed that every week she had something special lined up for her guest, whether it be a stack of books, new clothes, or just a cup of tea on a stressful day. He began to speak with her more and more openly, even joining her on her 'movie nights', as she so fondly referred to them. However, he had never felt more stunned and at home than the day she had a package overnight shipped to their house from Norway.

* * *

_Loki watched curiously from his spot perched on the couch as the doorbell rang and Darcy practically tripped over her own feet in her rush to greet their guest. He was a bit confused when the gentleman in a tan uniform handed her a box then simply left. She was absolutely giddy as she closed the door behind her, cradling a package from Norway to her chest like a newborn babe._

_"Why are you acting so strangely?" he questioned lightly, setting down his most recent literature: Titus Andronicus. He leaned back into the worn couch, patiently waiting for her answer. He furrowed his eyebrows and frowned when she stuck her tongue out at him in response, clutching the package more tightly to her chest._

_"It's a surprise," she responded simply, almost sprinting into the kitchen in her glee. The sound of tearing cardboard followed her entrance, and the dark haired God simply shrugged and continued his reading. It wasn't until later that night, when it was the time Darcy normally made dinner, that he finally found out what she had gotten._

_After enjoying the scent of her cooking for some time, and being unable to identify an odd smell he could almost recognize, Darcy emerged from the kitchen with two plates in hand. She had a smile permanently etched into her face, barely containing her urge to burst with excitement. Once she placed the plate of food in front of her new roommate, he simply sat in stunned silence, staring at the plate in disbelief._

_She had made him savuporo munakokkeli: scrambled eggs and smoked reindeer._

_He sat, at a loss of words. She had remembered such a small request from when they had first met? And she had yet again gone out of her way to get the meat shipped to her home from a distant country just for him? He couldn't remember a time when anyone had done something so thoughtful for him._

_Darcy had never seen the inky haired God smile so sweetly in all her life. She couldn't help herself as she reached for him, wrapping her tiny arms around his shoulders in a tight hug. This time he didn't fight her, instead wrapping one arm around her, returning her embrace lightly._

* * *

They slowly became closer, sharing stories of their youth and even inside jokes that they would amuse themselves with at Thor and Jane's expense. He found himself missing her company on the days that they would have to be separated, often tuning out Thor's incessant jabber on their 'bonding' days to instead think about the brunette at home.

He couldn't remember the day he started to think of Darcy's little apartment as his home, but the thought didn't bother him as greatly as he had thought it would have. The dark part of his mind often fought back, screaming at him that he would never have a home, but the gentle words and praises from Darcy slowly began to make him feel otherwise. He would never admit it aloud, he would deny this feeling with everything he had to anyone who asked, but he quietly accepted his fate with Darcy Lewis of Midgard.

He thought it was somehow related to the dreams of Darcy that haunted him every night. Once he laid down to sleep, his eyes closing as he drifted off, he would be met by the brunette once again.

In a dream where he remembered whisking away Sif's golden hair only to replace it with the dark locks of a dwarf, Darcy had been the one to receive the exchange instead of Sif. Instead of breaking his nose with her buckler as Sif had when they were children, she showered him with love and affection in her appreciation.

In another dream, she had approached him as he sat upon the throne during his painfully brief rein, only to rip Gungnir from his hands and to remove his horned helmet. As the metal clattered to the ground, she had straddled his hips, kissing him sweetly as she grasped at his ceremonial armor. However, each time he finally gave in to his incorporeal seductress, she would vanish into thin air, whispering in his ear before he shot up in bed, suddenly awake and violently aroused.

He would always awake full of inner turmoil, often finding it difficult to even make eye contact with her in the early mornings. When the sun just barely peeked over the mountains and he would violently shoot out of bed, covered in a cold sweat and heart pounding in his chest, he would take a bitterly cold shower, trying desperately to decipher the meanings of his bizarre dreams.

This night, as he tossed and turned in his sleep, he dreamed of his childhood, of the aftermath of a sparring accident in his distant youth. And, as was expected when he slept, he was visited by his beautiful phantom.

* * *

_The God of Mischief was just a young man, barely four centuries old, nursing wounds received after a sparring session in which his opponents had the unfair advantage. It was unjust that he was forced to fight with the other warriors without using his magic. While he was skilled with the spear and daggers, he incorporated his spells into his attacks and used magic primarily. He fought using the arcane arts, it was his method, and to spar without using spells was not practicing for future battles. Still, he had accepted, the other group pitting him against a warrior trained in the art of the broad sword and three times his size. Sif's brother, Heimdall._

_This fight had been worse than the others, however, and he feared that his opponent had actually broken his arm. Thor had been the one to call off the fight, presumably due to the sickening snap that had echoed through the training grounds. Loki had still wanted to continue, wanting to prove to the others that he was Thor's equal and that he was a worthy fighter, but the nauseating pain that shot up his arm told him it was enough. Thor had tried to comfort him, knowing that his younger sibling was in a great deal of anguish, but as the inky haired god heard the other warriors start laughing and mocking him, he played off his great wound as if it was nothing._

_The young man had quickly fled the training grounds, staggering with as much grace as he could muster to his quarters within the castle. Once he had arrived and slammed the door shut, he fell to the floor, hands shaking violently as he tried to assess his wounds. After just a delicate grasp to his upper arm, he discovered that it was indeed broken, this time letting out of cry of pain, the tears now freely falling._

_Instead of his graceful mother Frigga entering the room with her quiet footsteps, Darcy had taken her place. This time she presented herself to him as a young woman as well, rather than her normal age. She was dressed in her incorporeal gown once more, the flowing blackness of the garment blocking out all light in her path. An expression of sympathy and love graced her face as she sat in front of him, folding her legs underneath her. He immediately stifled his pained sobs, wiping the tears that had fallen from his cheeks with his good hand. The moment he tried to move his broken arm, a violent pain shot through him once more to the point where he thought he would retch from the agony. A few more stray tears fell as he stared into her eyes, almost challenging her to insult him for his weakness in physical combat._

_She simply smiled, reaching out to cup his face. He flinched away immediately, instead glaring at the wall in his shame. No one should see him like this, so vulnerable after a brutal, unfair defeat._

_"They are wrong to contain you so, Loki," she coos softly, instead reaching for his arm. He feels the pain swell once more at her gentle grasp and grits his teeth as his head spins, but somehow the pain begins to retreat. He hears a light snap as his bone pops back into place and mends itself, the pain disappearing entirely. He quickly turns to stare at her in confusion, eyes wide and the silent question about her powerful magic on his tongue. However, her hands are cupping his face once more, stormy blue meeting emerald green, and she's on her knees in front of him. The question dies on his lips as quickly as it came._

_"You're powerful, my prince," the words rolled off her tongue and he felt his chest tighten, "More powerful than the swing of any sword, the crash of any hammer. You have strength they could never dream of..."_

_As she spoke, she slowly leaned forward, eyes half-closed and lips pouted. Loki felt his cheeks burn and his heartbeat pound in his chest. Her hands drifted from his cheeks to his shoulders as her lips hovered just an inch from his own._

_"MY king..." she whispered before gently pressing her lips to his. His eyes fell closed as she slid her arms around his shoulders, just as she had done before. Once he began to move his mouth against hers, she straddled his lap, deepening the kiss. He moaned softly as she pressed herself against his length, reaching up to run her fingers through his jet black hair. He didn't want to reach out for her yet, he didn't want her to disappear already. Instead, he let her grind against him as he ran his tongue across her lips. She opened her mouth to him willingly, greeting his desperate kisses with her own._

_When he couldn't help himself any longer, he reached for her, and as always, she was gone. The feeling of her lips was still hot against his and his hands yearned for more of her. Just as he leaned back against the wall once more, head hitting the stone lightly, he heard her whisper in his ear._

_"Come to me..."_

* * *

Loki violently shot out of bed, hands clenching the sheets and body covered in a cold sweat once more. He was panting heavily, his heartbeat drumming against his rib cage. No matter how many times he dreamed of her, he always woke up with the same emptiness in his chest, the same longing to touch her, to wrap his own arms around her... but he would never allow himself to pursue his dreams. He was a monster, a beast, and she was an innocent mortal. She would never approach him in real life as she did in his dreams. She would flee in terror if she knew his true form.

He fell back against the bed once more, suddenly aware of a tightness in his pants. He sighed heavily, already wide awake, and went to take his morning shower yet again. Pushing the blankets off, he sauntered to his closet, pulling out a pair of black dress pants, a pair of undershorts, and a white button up dress shirt. He found himself enjoying formal Midgardian clothes, and wore suits more often than anything else.

Stepping into the hallway to head to the bathroom, he hadn't expected to see Darcy emerge from the steamy room, clad in nothing but a towel wrapped around her chest, wet, stringy hair clinging to her back. Apparently she hadn't seen him and simply walked back to her room, swaying her hips in a way that made Loki want to pin her against the wall and continue where his dream had left off.

* * *

Later that night, after the dark haired prince had finished his icy shower and had confined himself to his room for most of the day, Darcy finally pulled him out of his quarters with the promise of a movie night. Finding himself unable to deny her as of late, he accepted, following her out to the living room where junk food had already been set out and the movie "Princess Bride" was already at the title screen.

"Must we watch this film yet again?" he complained softly, slightly disappointed that they were watching the same movie from a week ago. However, he knew it was her favorite, so he didn't return to his room once more, instead sitting in his spot on the couch.

"You know it's my favorite movie, Lo," she replied, using her new favorite nickname for her guest. He sighed at the name, finding it a ridiculous to shorten a name that was already only two syllables. He didn't reply however, simply spreading his arms across the back of the couch, letting his legs splay open in his wide-legged sitting position.

What took him by surprise, however, was when instead of sitting in her normal spot on the other side of the couch, she sat right next to him, even leaning against the arm resting behind her. He stared at her for a moment, surprised by her forwardness, but she made no movement to sit elsewhere. Instead, she simply pressed play, putting her feet up on the coffee table in front of them and leaning back.

Months ago, he would have shoved her away, yelled at her to keep away from him and that her mortal stink was too pungent for her to sit so close to him, but he simply couldn't push her away. Not with the smell of lavender and spring filling his nose, not with the warmth radiating off of her, and not with the feeling of her long hair brushing against his arm. He simply sat still, trying not to give anything away, as she sat so comfortably at his side.

This went on for an hour or so, until Darcy began to get tired. She had found herself trusting Loki lately, which anyone on the planet would tell her is a shitty idea, even Loki himself. However, she had the feeling that he wouldn't hurt her, that he would even protect her. She knew it was silly, but it didn't stop her from sitting right next to the God when she started the movie. As her eyes began to grow heavy, suddenly becoming bored with her favorite movie, she began to drift.

Leaning over slowly, Darcy rested her head gently on Loki's shoulder.

She felt the God of Mischief tense immediately, caught between the desire to wrap his arms around her and pull her close and the immediate urge to push her off of him and to get as far away from her as possible. She felt him relax after a moment, the inky haired male finding great comfort into the light weight on his shoulder. Smiling lightly to himself as the brunette began to drift to sleep, he allowed himself to rest his head on top of hers and close his eyes...


End file.
